A Taste of the Valle D’Aosta
Château Feuillet’s 6-Bottle Sampler
by Jane Augustine
Hidden away in the mountainous terrain to the east of Mont Blanc and just north of Piedmont is the Valle d’Aosta, Italy’s smallest region. Not a lot of wine gets produced in this tiny outpost. To succeed as a winemaker in the unique, high-elevation microclimate, you must be courageous, committed, and confident of your footing: the terraced granite escarpments are harrowing to work and are all the more treacherous to navigate thanks to a crumbly dusting of sandy topsoil. We work with only one such determined grower, Maurizio Fiorano of Château Feuillet. He produces an array of nervy, glacial whites and silky reds that pull off the acrobatic feat of balancing intensity with freshness, texture with perfume, and drinkability with potential for aging. What is Maurizio’s secret?
A combination of factors contributes to the superb balance in the wines of Château Feuillet. Vineyards enjoy a privileged southern exposition that means long hours of gentle sunlight for an auspiciously slow ripening season. In some years, grapes can be harvested as late as early November without becoming overripe. The temperature shifts between night and day are drastic, which gives buoyancy and freshness to Feuillet’s lineup, along with charm and character. And somehow—a factor we can’t explain with science—each wine is a tonic that captures the intoxicating purity and energizing vigor of the crisp Alpine air.