2025 trip - Aosta
The wines
The wines of the Valle d’Aosta are very different than other parts of Italy. The influence from nearby France brings gamay, pinot gris and pinot nero as major grapes. The native grapes of petit rouge, fumin, premetta, and petit arvine are grown so high up the side of Mont Blanc that phylloxera never reached the vines. Even nebbiolo, which is called picotendro by the Valdotians has it’s own characteristics. The wines are crisp and on the lighter side, and even the bolder reds tend to be fruity.
While we were there we visited three wineries, Lo Triolet where we were staying, Grosjean which is a large producer, and Les Cretes. In each case I made appointments for the tours and tastings ahead of time. Since the rising popularity of wine tourism, more wineries are giving these structured wine “experiences”.
The first tasting we went to was at the agriturismo where we were staying. Lo Triolet began planting pinot gris in 1988, an early-ripining grape that was optimal for the altitude of the vineyards. Over time they expanded to other whites, reds, and sweet wines by cultivating vineyards in other parts of the valley. Their offerings include two pinot gris, one of which is aged in steel, and the other aged in barrique. They also make a petit arvine, a grape grown only in Switzerland and Valle d‘Aosta. For reds, they make a few single single varietal wines, such as gamay, fumin, pinot noir, and petit rouge, as well as a few blends. They produce 60,000 bottles annually.
The Grosjean family relocated from Burgundy to Valle d’Aosta in the 16th century and farmed the land including some winemaking. But it wasn’t until 1968 that they took their wine to a local exposition where they realized this could be a commercial enterprise. The family slowly began replacing their fruit crops with vineyards. During the rest of the 20th century the native grapes were developed until grapes like Fumin, Cornalin, Petit Rouge and Premetta gained importance in the wine world. In 2011 Grosjean received organic certification and in 2015 increased their production to 140,000 bottles.
The Charrere family came to Valle d’Aosta from Grenoble in 1750. They farmed the land producing rye, walnuts, and olives until they decided to produce wine in 1970. Their focus was preserving native grape varieties, such as Premetta and Fumin. In 1989 Les Cretes was founded. The varieties grown are both indigenous (Petit Rouge, Fumin, Petite Arvine, Gros Rouge, Cornalin, Mayolet, Prëmetta) and international (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah). Most of their wines are from single varietals with a few made from the best vineyards. They also produce a white blend, and a special red blend of 20% Syrah, 20% Petit Rouge 20%, Merlot, 20% Fumin, 20% Fumin Late harvest called La Sabla which is the first wine presented by the family 50 years ago. Aged 2 years in oak and 2 years in the bottle. This gives the wine a smooth, intense flavor.
Besides the usual wine tasting and cellar tour, they also offer picnics in the vineyards where they prepare a picnic basket with a selection of local meats and cheeses and three carefully selected wines, as well as dinner on the terrace with a view of the mountains: four courses paired with Les Cretes best Crus. The total annual production is currently 250,000 bottles.