Clos Fornelli

The winery and its terroir

The 21 hectares of the Clos benefit from a microclimate offering ideal conditions for the grapes to reach full maturity.

The vineyard was planted by Josée Vanucci's ancestors on these alluvial terraces on which the gravels of the Bravone mingle with the clay and schist of the massif. It is a terroir with a strong personality, which offers wines of character.

The couple was already winemakers before taking over the family estate and they were working in Paris. In taking over Clos Fornelli, they brought their know-how and working methods to help the estate evolve. Eager to protect the terroir and the vines, they implemented integrated farming techniques on the property: biological pest control using their natural predators, elimination of chemical weed killers, etc. The winemaking is also evolving, with the exclusive use of carefully selected indigenous yeasts.

The grape varieties

Some of the vines are over 30 years old. 14 hectares are planted with red grape varieties, with 53% Sciaccarellu, 35% Niellucciu and 12% Minestrellu.

The white grape varieties are present on nearly seven hectares, it is mainly Vermentino, which represents 80% of the white grape varieties. It is completed by 12% of Biancu Gentile and 8% of Genovese. The last two were planted in 2009, allowing the production of more complex, seductive and successful white wines.

The wines

Eight vintages, or 70,000 bottles, are produced each year, producing wines that express all the beauty of this terroir. The Fornelli range comes in a rosé, three reds and four whites.

- Stella Rose is offered in white, with an elegant, fresh and fine wine with a complex nose offering aromas of citrus, exotic fruits and flowers, but also in red.

- Genovese is a white expressing all the uniqueness of its grape variety. It is a wine with a complex aromatic bouquet revealing floral and fruity notes, with a touch of white tobacco.

- Robe d'Ange is produced in three vintages. The white is an elegant wine with a complex aromatic palette combining buttery, floral and menthol notes. The red is an atypical wine that is both racy and fresh. It has an intense nose revealing all the singularity of its grape variety, the Sciaccarellu. It offers aromas of spices, red fruits, pepper and rose. The rosé is a fleshy wine on the fruit, very greedy with aromas of red fruits with spicy notes.

- Clos Fornelli is available in red and white. The former has a beautiful purple color, very bright. The nose offers typical aromas of the maquis, with notes of violets, red fruits and spices and a beautiful persistent finish. The second is a balanced and fresh white wine with aromas of peach, white flowers and citrus fruits and a spicy note.