If Italy has a terra incognita for wine, it would seem to be Valle d’Aosta, the semi-autonomous alpine wonderland this side of the border from Chamonix and Zermatt. Hemmed in by Western Europe’s most imposing mountains, its viticultural activities have a Roman era lineage that is largely confined t0 the Dora Baltea River Valley. We can read up on Valle d’Aosta’s wines all we like — especially those from the brisk, alpine-inflected fruit of the Petit Rouge grape — but finding the occasional bottle is tricky because production levels are so impossibly low. Each year, only about 36,000 cases of wine are produced from the region’s lone DOC, which is subdivided into several subzones of distinction. Getting up into the Valle d’Aosta for a visit requires significant effort as well, and so only a small handful of journalists and wine professionals have knocked on the area’s cantina doors. (Sadly, I am not yet one of them).
These are wines of extremes, the essence of my favorite category of wine that is often called “heroic viticulture.”
But the idea of this place fascinates me, and I will get there eventually. Many of the subzones are defined by back-breaking labor and high elevation. These are wines of extremes, the essence of my favorite category of wine that is often called “heroic viticulture.”
Working the vines in the “Hell of Arvier” is not for the faint of heart. Rising from a bend along the Dora Baltea River, this imposing seven hectare plot — one of Valle d’Aosta’s official subzones — is rocky and exceptionally steep. For centuries the slope’s southerly angle and heat-trap properties have made it an essential source of cultivation for the hearty holdouts living in the valley. This collection of terraces, the highest elevation site for red wine grapes in Italy, has persisted into the 21st century thanks to a cooperative that takes 80% of the yield, and Danilo Thomain, the Lone Ranger estate-bottler who makes a single wine from this alpine hell. Around the bend, the Mont Blanc Massif marks a towering, icy barricade with France, so for those of us who don’t have to toil in it, Enfer d’Arvier is actually quite idyllic to look at.
Thomain’s wine seems to convey the chiseled terraces and sculpted slopes perfectly in this lightly tannic but no-less-serious wine that tastes of tart little berries you foraged yourself and smoke. There are shades of Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir in those fruit tones, despite being 100% Petit Rouge, and that seems to nicely underscore the Valle d’Aosta milieu of “one foot in Italy, one foot in France.”
I recently purchased this wine because it left an indelible mark in my memory six years ago, and for my forthcoming book Opening a Bottle of Italy, I wanted to see if it was worth including in the book’s Part II: 100 Wines to Admire from Italy. It certainly passed the test. Look for more details on this published project later in the year, if not early 2025. I can’t wait to share what I’ve been working on. If you’d like to be placed on a pre-order list, please contact me directly.
2019 Danilo Thomain Valle d’Aosta Enfer d’Arvier
Valle d’Aosta Enfer d’Arvier DOC (Valle d’Aosta )
Grapes: Petit Rouge (100%)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Opinion: ★★★★★
Food friendliness: Selective
Value: Very Good
A beginner might like … telling their friends “we’re drinking a bottle of wine from hell tonight.” Everyone loves a good story, and that’ll get their attention.
A wine obsessive might like … knowing a little bit more about Petit Rouge, which is either indigenous to Valle d’Aosta or Switzerland, which is just over the Matterhorn from here. Because of its supreme adaptation to what is one of the harshest environments for grape-growing in Europe, Petit Rouge can provide both abundance for entry-level wines and high quality when the yields are restricted.
Note: This wine was purchased from funds raised through subscriptions like yours. Thank you.
