Marquiliani Vin de Corse Rose de Pauline 2018
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Anne Amalric’s family domaine, based on the mountains-meet-Mediterranean coast of eastern Corsica, is so modest in scale that satisfying the ever-growing demand will be no easy feat. On the bright side, she has supplemented her precious Rosé de Sciaccarellu with this bottling, an exotic blend of Syrah and Sciaccarellu with a perfumed splash of Vermentinu. Also feather-light on the palate with lovely delicate aromatics, Pauline is a bit rounder and fuller—relatively speaking. For ethereal, salty, mouthwatering Corsican pleasure, Marquiliani is where it’s at.
The Amalric family has farmed Domaine de Marquiliani since the 1950s. 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. She 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.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
A mountainous, Mediterranean island covered in vineyards, Corsica, while closer to Italy in proximity and history, is today under France's political jurisdiction. The island is home to a mix of Italian and French grapes, typically planted at high elevations. Niellucciu (Sangiovese), Sciacarellu (Mammolo), and Vermentino (Rolle) are the main grape varieties of Corsica, and account for about two thirds of all Corsican wines produced.