In addition to his fine Burgundies at Château de La Tour and Domaine Pierre Labet, François Labet also crafts a terrific Pinot Noir from a small vineyard in the east of Corsica. Labet first served us this wine blind in 2013, on visit to his Clos de Vougeot Estate. Everyone assumed it was a cheeky little Burgundy and praised the wine accordingly. You can imagine the surprise when the wine was unveiled. In our defence, the wine is clearly varietal, and no-one could have expected to be served a Pinot from outside the region while staring out the window at the vines of Clos de Vougeot! Despite some embarrassment, there were smiles all ’round when the price was announced.

The background story is that Labet has a holiday house in Corsica and over the years he had fallen in love with the region’s rocky, high-altitude terroir. He had also recognised that there was a possibility that Pinot Noir could work in some of the more elevated sites on the island. So, when the opportunity arose to work with a local vigneron and friend to produce a Corsican Pinot, he didn't hesitate.

The vineyard is located on the east coast of Corsica's Haute-Corse department, at 400-metres elevation, above the town of Ghisonaccia. Rather unlike the treatment for his red Burgundies, François Labet fully destems the fruit for this wine and then ages it in tank (two-thirds) and French oak (one-third) before bottling. It’s vibrant, versatile Mediterranean “Burgundy” that oozes personality and is great value to boot.