Clos Venturi Brama Biancu Gentile Blanc 2023

Clos Venturi Brama Biancu Gentile Blanc

Region: Corsica, France

Vintage: 2023

Bottle size: 75cl

Grapes: Biancu Gentile

ABV: 13%

Pale lemon in colour. The nose is brimming with aromas of ripe apricot, pear and tropical fruits, with subtle almond hints. On the palate, the wine is rich and textured with a mineral edge and a lifted acidity which linger on the long finish.

'Brama' is the Corsican for 'sigh', it evokes on the constant breeze blowing at night on the island vineyards. To produce the Brama range, Manu works exclusively with indigenous Corsican grape varieties from a single parcel. This wine is made exclusively with low-yielding 25-35 years old Biancu Gentile.

Upon arrival at the winery, the hand-harvested Biancu Gentile grapes were 100% destemmed and gently pressed in a pneumatic press. A cool pre-fermentation maceration on the skins lasted for eight days to extract maximum aromatics. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts took place in egg-shaped concrete tanks. Following fermentation, the wine was matured on its lees for a few months with weekly bâtonnage to add texture to the palate. Unfined, the wine was cold settled and lightly filtered before bottling.

Clos Venturi comprises a 28-hectare vineyard within the Corsican estate of Domaine Vico, planted at 400 metres above sea level on a sandstone hill, surrounded by forests and mountains. Current winemaker Emmanuel (Manu) Venturi and his father Jean-Marc separated this plot from Domaine Vico after identifying the potential of its ancient sandstone soils and sheltered position. Manu has introduced sheep and chickens to the vineyard, providing natural fertiliser and weed control alongside beehives to further improve biodiversity. Yields are deliberately kept low and the vineyards are worked by horsepower to reduce soil compaction.