Antoine Arena, now working with his two sons, produces fine Niellucciu reds and Vermentinu whites from several small plots of vineyards in the Patrimonio AOC. The Haut de Carco is the newest, an escarpment of almost solid limestone looming over the Carco vineyard. No vines had previously grown here, and the neighbors were intrigued and amused to watch the Arenas dig laboriously and dynamite extensively to prepare the ground. They were skeptical. To the surprise of everyone except the Arenas, the vines held, rooted in the cracks and crevices of the limestone.
Haut de Carco Blanc is enticing in the nose, with white flowers, sweet, fresh green hay, and luscious pear. On the palate it’s firm and structured, lavish with its limestone mineral base and balanced with lively citrus tartness, with a piercing minerality and a tangy almost-bitterness asserting itself at the very end.
Scallop with Tangerine Sauce
The wine was quite delicious, and even more so as a fitting companion with the first course. BettyLu had prepared a delicious appetizer: one perfect pan-sautéed scallop, seared outside and slightly caramelized but soft and sweet within, and accompanied by a resonant sauce of tangerine. Exquisite, and perfectly suiting the evening, preparing us for the main plate.
