Chateau Feuillet 'Torrette'

The Valle d’Aosta is a stunningly beautiful place nestled in the Alps of NW Italy. This magical region is bordered by Switzerland and France which helps to explain the label that is a mix of both French and Italian. Surrounded by Mount Blanc, Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, and Gran Paradiso, this is the quintessential snowy Alps. And in the Valle d’Aosta, the indigenous red varietals are Petit Rouge & Mayolet. Crazy to think that in this high elevation, the conditions are perfect for these vines. Shallow, sandy soils provide just enough struggle for depth of flavor. Winds blow through and dry out any moisture that could lead to mildew. Mineral deposits from the Dora Baltea River nourish and bolster. The vineyards are so perfectly planted to capture the sun that the almond trees also planted here and there blossom at the same time as those in Sicily, over 550 miles farther south!!

Maurizio Fiorano grew up outside Turin and moved to Milan for his studies then began work as a surveyor but when he met and married his wife, they moved to her hometown of Saint Pierre in the Valle d’Aosta. He continued his work in Milan but that long commute is intense so when they had a child, Maurizio was eager to not miss out on family life. He knew that the small inn and restaurant life was not for him. But she had inherited vineyards from her family, so why not make wine to serve in her restaurant and perhaps sell at the inn? The idea suited him perfectly, and he quit his job and began to work in the vines, learning from the locals how to make wine from these vines. In the beginning his production was tiny: he signed up to show his first vintage at VinItaly but arrived at the gargantuan expo with just four bottles! Today his production remains small, but he is careful to not export too much and I feel blessed that this wine comes to our market. He may not be born and bred, but Maurizio says he feels like a Valdostano, and this is his way of showing off the local varietals all over the world.

'Torrette' is the appellation's sub-region within the Valle d'Aosta DOC - this gorgeous bottle of yummy is a blend of Petit Rouge and Mayolet. The spiced aromatics, bright red cherries and plums with hints of sun-soaked herbs are supported with a deep vein of minerality from those deep roots.
An underrated bottle that often gets overlooked. With a simple and understated label containing a wine that is anything but. Now excuse me while I finish this bottle!