Domaine de Marquiliani

The town of Aghione is not far from the old Roman capital of Corsica, Aleria, on the eastern coast of the island, poetically known as the Costa Serena. Flanked against the mountains where the flats begin to rise into the hills, this small village of 245 inhabitants is just as celebrated today for its olive groves and vineyards as it was thousands of years ago. The enduring legacy is no coincidence—cool nights, constant ventilation, perfect situation between mountains and sea, and rocky, well-draining soils help the grapes retain their freshness and allow for a slow, even ripening. Chilled air currents from nearby Monte Renosu—one of Corsica's highest peaks at 7,716 feet—make this one of the cooler sites on the island’s east coast. The soils in Aghione are a mix of alluvial debris composed primarily of schist and granite, along with silt that has descended from the mountains over the last tens of thousands of years.

The Amalric family has farmed Domaine de Marquiliani since the 1950s, nearly twenty years after the two hundred-year-old domaine was destroyed in a fire and abandoned. The Amalrics bought the property and replanted the vineyards. Daniel Amalric earned great recognition for his wines, as he was the first to plant Niellucciu and Syrah on this side of the island. In 1995, he was joined by his daughter, Anne, an agricultural chemist who had returned from mainland France to take her place at the family farm. Initially, Anne put her energy into planting olive and almond trees. Her determination has not been in vain, as Domaine de Marquiliani’s olive oils, made from local olive varieties, are widely regarded as the best in Corsica. Anne then turned her focus back to the vineyards, replanting much of the land to Sciaccarellu to focus the production on rosé. She still works side-by-side with her father and is quick to credit him as her guiding light in the vineyards and the cellar. In spite of her modesty, Anne has become a success in her own right. Her wine made an instant impression on Kermit, who raves, “Drinking her rosé is like drinking a cloud. There’s an absolute weightlessness to it. Nothing is left on the palate but perfume.”

Technical Information

Wine	Blend	Vine Age	Soil Type	Vineyard Area*
Vin de Corse “Blanc de Marquiliani”	Vermentinu	Planted in 2018	Schist and Granite gravel with silt	1 ha
Vin de Corse Rosé “Gris de Marquiliani”	95% Sciaccarellu, 5% Syrah	20 years average	Schist and Granite gravel with silt	10 ha total
Vin de Corse Rosé “Le Rosé de Pauline”	80% Sciaccarellu, 15% Vermentinu, 5% Syrah,	20 years average	Schist and Granite gravel with silt	10 ha total
I. G. P. Île de Beauté Rouge	40% Syrah, 40% Sciaccarellu and 20% Grenache	20 years average	Schist and Granite gravel with silt	10 ha total
Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Fruitée Douce”	Ghjermana, Leccio	Planted in 1995-97, 2009	Schist and Granite gravel with silt	11 ha total
Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Fruitée Sauvage”	Sabine	Planted in 1995-97, 2009	Schist and Granite gravel with silt	11 ha total
Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Ghjermana”	Ghjermana	Planted in 1995-97, 2009	Schist and Granite gravel with silt	11 ha total
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION

• Sustainably farmed, using very small doses of copper sulfate
• Grapes are hand-harvested and collected into small baskets; baskets then placed in a refrigerator for several hours to keep their freshness

Vin de Corse “Blanc de Marquiliani”

• Juice ferments in thermoregulated stainless steel tanks
• Regular stirring of the lees before bottling 6 months later
• Wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation

Vin de Corse Rosé:

• Juice obtained by direct press

• Pressed juice is decanted and undergoes 72 hour cold-soak

• Clear juice is pulled from the cuve and fermented in stainless steel

• Does not undergo malolactic fermentation

Vin de Corse “Rosé de Pauline”:
• Slow fermentation from select parcels of Syrah
• Juice obtained by direct press
• Pressed juice is decanted and undergoes 72 hour cold-soak
• Clear juice is pulled from the cuve and fermented in stainless steel
• Does not undergo malolactic fermentation
• Named for Anne’s daughter, Pauline

I. G. P. Île de Beauté Rouge:

• Grapes are hand-harvested and de-stemmed

• All three grape varieties are co-fermented

• Fermentation and aging in stainless steel tank

• Bottled unfined and unfiltered

Extra Virgin Olive Oils:

• Made from indigenous Corsican olive varieties

• Olives harvested in November, December, and January

• Fresh olives are quickly brought to the mill and are gently pressed to keep the full aromas and freshness intact

• It takes 15 to 33 lbs of olives to make one liter of Marquiliani olive oil

• Cold pressed and stored at 16° C for 2 to 3 months

• Decanted naturally