Domaine Andriella
Corse AOP · Figari, Bonifacio · organic
“Bapti” — Jean-Baptiste Grimaldi — started his project in 1997, when he was still a sheep farmer.
Self-taught in Figari
On the advice of his neighbour and friend Yves Canarelli he planted three hectares on the edge of the village of Figari, in the commune of Bonifacio. Until recently he was the only winegrower in the southernmost commune of the island — and of France.
Entirely self-taught, he learned on the job and made plenty of mistakes, as every good blacksmith does.
250 metres from the sea
Five red varieties — Sciaccarellu, Niellucciu, Minustellu, Carcaghjolu and Syrah — plus one white, Vermentinu, make up his vineyard. Bapti was among the first in southern Corsica to work organically. His vines grow in sandy granitic soils over a clay subsoil, salted by the sea wind, with the sea barely 250 metres away.
In the cellar: barrels a few years old and simple work without artifice. That gives wines that resemble him — open, honest and direct. Honey, candied citron and mandarin perfume the white. The reds bring a range of red fruit, with fine notes recalling the maquis, spice and iodine.
The estate at a glance
| Appellation | Corse AOP — Bonifacio |
| Vineyard | 4 ha — 2 ha red, 2 ha white |
| Production | ± 20,000 bottles a year |
| Harvest | By hand |
| Vine age | 25 years on average |
| Approach | organic |
| Red varieties | Sciaccarellu, Niellucciu, Minustellu, Carcaghjolu Neru, Syrah |
| White varieties | Vermentinu |
