2018 Petit ChablisDomaine Roland Lavantureux
France | Burgundy
$30
Producers
“Torrette” is the regional designation referring to wines made from certain villages in the Valle d’Aosta principally from the Petit Rouge grape (70% minimum). Maurizio blends in 10% of the local Mayolet grape for extra freshness and finesse. The resulting wine has a deep and dark yet blazing bright color, as if it had been made from pressed wild berries. True to the region, it has a slightly sweet and creamy edge and exuberant, piquant fruit, both peppery and floral throughout. It is an incredibly consistent wine from Maurizio: I can’t remember a vintage that wasn’t love at first sight, thanks to his high-altitude granite terraces facing southeast and catching the rising sun. As you might expect, the local Fontina cheese makes a sublime pairing!
—Dixon Brooke
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 90% Petit Rouge, 10% Mayolet |
Appellation: | Valle d'Aosta |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Valle d’Aosta |
Producer: | Château Feuillet |
Winemaker: | Maurizio Fiorano |
Vineyard: | 10-12 years, 0.5 ha |
Soil: | Sandy, alluvial topsoil, granite bedrock subsoil |
Farming: | Sustainable |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
Château Feuillet Italy | Valle d’Aosta | Valle d’Aosta
Château Feuillet Italy | Valle d’Aosta | Valle d’Aosta
Château Feuillet Italy | Valle d’Aosta | Valle d'Aosta
Château Feuillet Italy | Valle d’Aosta | Valle d'Aosta
Italy’s smallest region by surface area and by annual production, Valle d’Aosta is also one of its most strikingly beautiful. In the heart of the Alps bordering France and Switzerland, this is a stark landscape dominated by jagged, snow-capped peaks, where tiny terraced vineyard parcels cling to steep, rocky slopes of sand and alluvial deposits. Winemaking here dates back to Roman times, and today a growing number of small-scale producers persist with the heroic kind of viticulture required to brave this extreme terrain.
In the shadow of the Mont Blanc, the Valle d’Aosta runs west to east, providing excellent southern exposure to the vineyards on its northern slopes. In spite of the altitude—these are some of Europe’s highest vineyards—the hot, dry summers provide conditions in which a number of indigenous varieties, along with others of French or Swiss origin, truly thrive. Petite Arvine, Prié Blanc, Petit Rouge, Fumin, and Cornalin are just a few of the grapes responsible for the region’s whites and reds, which range from bright juicy, aromatic, and mineral-driven to powerful and rustic in character.
Château Feuillet represents our first Valle d’Aosta import. With its singular wines from an absolutely breathtaking environment, it is certainly a region to get excited about.
Château Feuillet Italy | Valle d’Aosta | Valle d'Aosta
Château Feuillet Italy | Valle d’Aosta | Valle d'Aosta
Château Feuillet Italy | Valle d’Aosta | Valle d’Aosta
Château Feuillet Italy | Valle d’Aosta | Valle d’Aosta
Vignai da Duline Italy | Friuli | Friuli Colli Orientali
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia | Vino da Tavola
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige – Valle Isarco
Guido Porro Italy | Piedmont | Dolcetto d’Alba
Grottafumata Italy | Sicily | IGT Terre Siciliane
Vignai da Duline Italy | Friuli | Grave
Punta Crena Italy | Liguria | Colline Savonesi
A good doctor prescribed the wine of Nuits-Saint-Georges to the Sun King, Louis XIV, when he suffered an unknown maladie. When the king’s health was restored the tasty remedy enjoyed a vogue at court. Lord, send me a doctor like that!
Inspiring Thirst, page 117
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