Giudicelli Blanc 2021

A native Corsican, Muriel Giudicelli learned her craft at small wineries across France and under the mentorship of Antoine Arena – one of Corsica’s most important vignerons famed for his terroir-driven, natural wines. In 1996, Muriel leapt at the chance to take over 5ha of prime, old vines from a retiring winemaker and launch her own domaine on the island.

Muriel now works 10ha of vines alongside her husband in the Campo Gallo sub-region of Patrimonio – an area noted for its pockets of green and red clay, granite, schist, and limestone, as well as being on course to become the first entirely organically farmed appellation in Europe. Muriel’s vineyards have been certified biodynamic since 2012.

Domaine Giudicelli produces wines in tiny quantities from Corsica’s traditional grape varieties. Made with gentle vinification methods and long élevages, they show remarkable vitality and perfectly judged ripeness.

When we met Muriel, we were blown away by the precision and texture of the latest release of her Vermentinu and stunned at how well it ages – the 2014 was particularly joyful and expressive. Her elegant, structured Niellucciu (Sangiovese) is full of freshness and lift, and, although charming when young, develops wonderful complexity and finesse with time in bottle.

Interest in Corsica’s wine landscape is skyrocketing. Already enormously popular with sommeliers in Paris, Domaine Giudicelli’s wines are now among the island’s most sought after.