Etienne, the youngest son, took over the domaine in 1986 after completing his studies in veterinary medicine in Paris. Passionate about the terroir and aware of the potential of Calvi wines, he invested in the domaine with the aim of expanding the total vineyard area. Today the domaine has over 64 hectares of vines, 12 hectares of olive trees, and has a herd of 40 cattle grazing over the 30 hectares of meadows and oak groves. 2016 marked a new chapter for the family-run domaine, with the arrival of Etienne’s eldest son, Paul-Antoine, who had the honour of vinifying the 40th vintage of Clos Culombu. The vineyards were farmed following organic principles. Etienne and Paul-Antoine have now started the conversion to biodynamic viticulture.
Clos Culombu
France
The Suzzoni family domaine started in 1973 with the planting of the first vines. For Paul, the eldest child in the family, the passion for winemaking started at a very young age, and he went on to study at the agricultural college in Borgo, in northern Corsica. With the support of his father Antoine, he bought a few plots of land and set to work. Although most of the winemaking on the island at this time was just really dabbling around, Paul and his father planted their first Niellucciu vines in 1973 in the communes of Lumiu and Montegrosso, and vinified their first cuvées three years later.