cut'n paste job from polaner selections.....
"Domaine Antoine Arena may well be the premier wine from the island of Corsica. Almost all of it is sold to the top wine shops in Paris. The locals in Corsica aren't very familiar with it and can't drink it, as it's not available there. It's so rare on Corsica that on those occasions when it's actually available in the island's shops, fights have arisen among people who are desperate to drink it.
......Arenas work completely rewrites the rule book for Vermentinu (Vermentino): made this way, it can happily stand comparison with Pinot Gris or Viognier. His 2000 Carco, for example, billows with scents of bacon and banana, in the mouth it is plump, luscious and exotic. The 1999, with a year on its fine lees, is a creamier, subtler wine with salty-sweet edges. The 2000 Grotte di Sole Vermentino, which has reached about 16.5% alcohol before giving up fermenting, is honeyed, oozing fruit as is a November harvested 1999 version packed with apricot and fig. The ever curious Arena is also working with an old Corsican variety called Bianco Gentile: his 2000 cuve was picked at 16% potential alcohol, and is a massive and exotic confection of tropical fruits, honey and melon, with a salty fire at its heart, too. Arena also uses the Carco and Grotte di Sole names for his Nielluccio-based (Sangiovese) reds. The Carco, a so-called vin de soif, is vivid with raspberry fruit; the Grotte di Sole, produced from lower yields, combines something of the bitter-edged sophistication of Tuscany with explosive fruit and mineral flavours."
