Jean-Charles Abbatucci is one of Corsica’s most respected growers, known for reviving near-extinct native grapes and farming his high-altitude vineyards in southern Corsica biodynamically. The ‘Ministre Impérial’ is part of his Cuvée Collection—a series of bottlings that celebrate the island’s rich genetic heritage and Abbatucci’s family history (his ancestor was a general under Napoleon).

This cuvée blends rare Corsican red varieties such as Sciaccarellu, Niellucciu, Carcaghjolu Neru, Montanaccia, Morescone, and others—all harvested from granite soils near Ajaccio, then fermented with native yeasts and aged in large, neutral barrels.

The result is a red wine that’s both structured and lifted—savory and herbal, with red berries, dried flowers, and a streak of granite minerality. It’s bold but not heavy, and very much shaped by its windswept, mountainous environment.

Vintage on this wine is often declassified as NV due to the blend of multiple harvests or stylistic decisions—though in practice, it generally reflects a single growing year.