Mayolet, a rare grape from Valle d'Aosta

Mayolet is a native early-maturing grape of Valle d'Aosta, Although it is planted in limited numbers (10 hectars), the Mayolet occupies a rather large cultivation area that extends from Saint-Vincent in Avise, on the right and left slopes of the Dora Baltea, and reaches the significant altitude of 800 meters above sea level. But there are some disadvatages with this grape, that it is hard to work with mainly due to tight concentration of grapes and very thin skin. So not many produers plant this grape and to find a bottle of Mayolet outside of Valle d'Aosta is almost impossible

The bottle of Mayolet that I tasted I bought in Valle d'Aosta in 2018. As can be seen in the photo below the vinyards climb quite rapdidly up the mountains.

The producer of the Mayolet bottle is Cave Des Once Communes. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13% and it is a red wine. It is a light red wine with a taste of of some cherry and a hint of black peppar. Nice aftertaste of red fruit.

Two wines from the mountains of Italy

Several mountain regions of Italy produce good wine. Two of them are Valle D'Aosta and Trentino-Alto Adige. The first bottle is the Petit Arvine from Les Cretes in Valle D'Aosta. Petit Arvine is a grape mostly planted in Switerland but also in Valle D'Aosta due to the close proximity to Switzerland. I have visited Les Cretes and it is situated in a beautiful spot in the valley of Aosta. The wine is of the vintage 2018 and the ABV is 13,5%. I get pear, lemon and some grapefruit on the taste. Powerful but quite fresh.

Next up is a wine from Trentino-Alto Adige and the producer Abbazia di Novacella or Stiftskellerei Neustift as it is known in German. The wine is Praepositus Riesling of the vintage 2017 and the ABV is 13%. There is a lovely smell on the nose. On the taste I get minerals, some peach, honey and some citrus, Lovely clean riesling.

Three red wines from three mountainous regions of Italy

This time I will try three different red wines from three different mountainous regions in Italy. First up the the most southern mountain in Italy, the Volcano Etna in Sicily. Around this Volcano there is several winegrowing areas. This wine is called Alta Mora from producer Cusumano. It is an Etna Rosso DOC and the vintage is 2016. The grapes are Shiraz and Nero D'Avola. I get red fruit on the nose and in the mouth. Some oak and tannins also in the taste. Nice but nothing special.

Next region is Valle D'Aosta in the north, close to Mont Blanc. This wine is a Petit Rogue wine which is a rare grape from Valle D'Aosta. The producer is Institut Agricole Regional and the vintage is 2016. The colour is a light ruby. I get red berries on the nose. In the taste I get acidity which is quite high and then I get black currant with with some plum and strawberries. A good lighter delicious red.

The final mountainous region is Trentino and here I have a wine made on one of my favourite grapes used for red wines, namely Lagrein. The producer is  Cantina ViticoltoriTrentino and it is from 2017. On the nose I get a nice red fruit.On the taste blackberry, some coffee and leather notes. A nice Lagrein for the price.

Red wine from Cantina Lavis, Casisano and Rosset

This time I try three red wines from Alto Adige, Tuscany and Vallé d'Aoste. First up is the wine Lagrein from Cantina Lavis. It is made of 100% Lagrein grapes, the vintage is 2017 and the ABV is 13%. Very dark ruby colour. Almost an earthy red fruits smell. On the taste I get blueberries and some plum with some leather notes and viols. A very nice wine.

Next is a Rosso di Montalcino called Casisano from the producer Tommasi. The grape is Sangiovese, the vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 13%. Red fruit on the nose. In the taste black currant, cherries and some tannins. I get some mushrooms in the aftertaste. A nice complex rosso di Montalcino.

Last is a red wine from the small province of Valle d'Aosta from the producer Rosset. It is a wine made with 100% Cornalin grapes. The vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 12%. In the taste I get viols, red currants and some acidity. A nice Cornalin.

Not a rosewine, Prëmetta from Grosjean

One unusual grape from Valle D'Aoste is Prëmetta. Because of the large grapes and the lack of pigmentation in the skins the Prëmetta grapes gives a lightly red coloured wine. Some mistake it for a rosewine because of this. Producer Grosjean makes a wine from Prëmetta and I have tried the 2015 vintage. The ABV is 12,5. The colour is very light red going up almost into pink territory. In the nose I get light red fruits. In the taste there are strawberries and red currants with some acidity and some light lingering tannins. A wellbalanced and very good wine  from this rare grape Prëmetta. I think that this wine should be drank young but it would be interesting to try a well aged Prëmetta.

La Grotta Di Vegneron

La Grotta Di Vegneron is a producer in the fantastic Valle D'Aosta in north western corner of Italy on the border to France. It is the smallest wine growing region in Italy and this region has many interesting grapes. Due to its small size, wine from Valle D'Aosta is very hard to find as the production is so limited. And don't forget the beautiful nature of Valle D'Aosta also.

 

But going back to La Grotta Di Vegneron I have tried two of their wines. A red and a white wine. First up is a dry wine from 2010 called Attente. It is made of Muscat grapes from the village of Chambave. Normally Muscat grapes are used for sweet wines so this dry aged white wine is quite interesting. This wine is aged for 40 months in steel tanks which is a long time for a dry white wine. The taste is dry but the smell confuses my mind as I expect a sweet wine. taste of apricots, dried fruits but with a clear dryness. Not for everyone but I find it good and interesting but I find it hard to categorize.

Next up is the red wine Esprit Follet made from the ancient grape Fumin from Valle D'Aosta. In the taste I get complex red fruits, black currants, viols, dark chocolate and some spices. A very good wine. Love it and Fumin have become one of my favourite grapes.

Two red wines from Alba and Aosta

Let us go and start with A. With wines from Alba and Aosta. First up is a Barbera D'Alba from producer Camerano who I visited in 2017. It is made of 100% Barbera grapes and the ABV is 14%. the vintage is 2013. This wine has soft tannins with red and black currants and hints of cherries. A good Barbera which is quite easy drinking.

Next wine is from Valle D'Aosta next to the border of France. It is from producer Grosjean and when I was in Aosta earlier on this year I tasted several of their wines but not this red wine made of the grape Cornalin. It is called Cornalin Vigne Rovettaz 2014 with an ABV of 13%. Not a complex one but in the taste I get raspberry, some acidity followed by cherries. Some tannins later on followed by black currants. I like the Grosjeans wine Fumin better but this is a good red wine also. Good quality by Grosjean.

White wine of Valle d'Aosta

I had the chance to travel to Valle d'Aosta in the northwester corner to try some of their wine and also to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the mountains.

For the white wines of Valle d'Aosta I mostly focused on the grape Petit Arvine. This grape was introduced into Valle d'Aosta in the seventies by the Institut Agricole of Valle d'Aosta.
First up the producer Chateau Feuillet and their vintage 2017. I find this wine to be dry and mineralic with fresh green apples. Absolutely lovely taste.

Next is a Petit Arvine wine from Grosjean, it is called Petit Arvine Vigne Rovettaz of vintage 2016 and ABV 13,5%. Thi swine is produced from grapes growing at 550m at the Rovettaz vineyard. It is very fresh with minerals, apples and some grapefruit. Yet another lovely wine.

The we have the producer Les Cretes which I have visited earlier and tasted several of their wines. This time their Petit Arvine wine is from 2013. Here I find peaches and minerals with some acidity. Losing some freshness due to age but gaining some complexity instead. The Petit Arvine grape showing their ageing potential.

These Petit Arvine wines are defintaly something to look for if you can find them. Since Valle d'Aosta has a small wine production.

Passito from La Crotta Di Vegneron

I love sweet wines but I drink it so seldom. In my winecellar I saw a bottle of passito from La Crotta Di Vegneron so why not try it out? La Crotta Di Vegneron is a cooperative in Valle D'Aosta in Italy and it consist of 75 partners today. The production is approximately 200 000 bottles a year. All the wineyards are facing south and they are at altitudes 500-850 meters above sea level. In 2014 I had the fortune to visit La Crotta Di Vegneron shop in Valle D'Aosta. Unfortunately I could not buy as much as I wanted but a bottle of Chambave Moscato Passito from 2011 I managed to bring home.

Passito wines are made from dried grapes. This Cambave Moscato Pasito has an interesting story as in 1494 George of Challant gave Moscato Passito di Chambave to Charles VIII, King of France. So this golden nectar has been produced for a long time. It consists of 100% Moscato grapes and has an ABV of 13,5%.

The colour of this wine is amber. I think that the three year of extra maturation has deepened the colour. In the nose I can feel aromatic fruits. It smells like a passito from Pantelleria. The taste is sweet and warm. The wine has a taste of dried apricots, honey and very intense. An excellent wine, as good as a passito wine could be. I think that with a few more years the taste would increase even more, alas this was my only bottle. Next year when I hopefully will travel to Valle D'Aosta and then I will make a longer visit to La Crotta Di Vegneron.

A note on the spelling. I write Valle D'Aosta but in the local spelling Valdôtain it is spelled Vallée d'Aoste. And this is the spelling that you see on the bottle.

White wine from Valle D'Aosta and Sardinia

I tasted the red wine Fumin from the producer Les Cretes in Valle D'Aosta a month ago and now is the time for their white wine Petite Arvine from 2014. It has an ABV of 13,5%. This grape Petite Arvine is a native grape of Switzerland and was introduced in the Italian region of Valle D'Aosta in the seventies. When I tasted this bottle it reminded me of a Chardonnay. Fresh and fruity with some citrus and minerals. Very good and Petite Arvine is an under-appreciated grape.

Vermentino is a grape that I like a lot. I have tasted everything from excellent wines to just decent wines. The wine Piras from Cantina Gallura is one of the excellent wines. The taste is very aromatic with citrus and some pear notes. The flavour of this wine is very deep. Buy it if you can find a bottle. The vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 13%.

Les Cretes, wine from Valle D'Aosta

Les Crêtes is a producer in Valle D'Aosta. I visited them in the Autumn of 2014 and they are located very beautifully. The label is based on the landscape around them. The fun with producers in Valle D'Aosta is that this valley has so many interesting local grapes. One is the grape Fumin. Funnily enough in the sixties it was suggested that Fumin should not be produced any more due to that Fumin could not produce a good wine. Nowadays, it is recognized as the most famous grape in Valle D'Aosta.
Les Crêtes has a wine made from Fumin. I have tried the vintage of 2011. The colour is dark red and almost ruby like. The taste if of black currants, coffee and liquorice. Very nice and good. And I think that this wine can be stored for a many more years. In comparison I would say that this reminds me of a red wine from Montalcino.

If you are near Les Cretes, please visit them.

 

The landscape of Valle D'Aosta is  amazing with the beautiful valley and the wine growing on the sides.

Wine made of rare native grapes from northern Italy

Two regions in the north of Italy are Piemonte and the small neighbouring mountainous region of  Vallee D'Aoste. They both have a lot of grapes which are native of that region.

First out is the wine Marin from producer Fontanafredda in the Langhe area of Piemonte. This is a white wine made of the grapes Chardonnay and Nascetta. Being a rare grape is true of Nascetta as at one time it was only grown around the hamlet of Novello in Piemonte. Now it is more spread around in Piemonte. The wine Marin is fresh and clear and taste of honey, some citrus and some oak. A very good wine. Next time I will try to get a wine that only consists of Nascetta.

A regions that has a lot of naive grape is the small small mountainous region of  Vallee D'Aoste. The wine Torette superieur  from producer Grosjean. It consists of the rare grapes Petit Rogue, Furmin, Cornalin and Premetta. All native grapes of Vallee D'Aoste. This wine has a good strong taste with a long after taste, very good.

Visit to the mountains and the good wine

In Italy many good wines produced in lesser known mountain areas such as Valle D'Aosta and Trentino. When I visited Valle D'Aosta  had the chance to visit the La Grotta Di Vegnergons store and I wish i could bring a lot of their wines back to Sweden. The white wine Chambave Mucat from 2013 by La Grotta Di Vegnergon I received as a gift. This is the perfect aperetif wine. It is a very fresh aromatic wine with taste of yellow peaches and thyme. Very good.

In the dolomites in the Trentino region the native grape Lagrein is very popular. I have tasted this grape before and liked it. The wine that I have sampled is from Cantina Mori in Trentino which I had the chance to visit in 2013.  The wine is called Terra Di San Mauro and is from 2010. It is very good. Not to heavy as some red wines can be but has a taste of plums, red cherries and dark currants. Some tannins to round it out.

Finally summer and another batch of wines

Finally the sun arrived this summer and parts of the summer were saved. This time I have tried three Italian wines and a German wine.

The most interesting wine is the red wine Torrette Superior from Valle D'Aosta in Italy. It is the first time that I have been able to buy a wine from this region in Sweden. Valle D'Aosta is a region that has many local varieties of grapes of which many were close to extinction bur fortunately many of these grape veracities have been saved for example Fumin. The Torrette Superior is from producer Maurizio Fiorano Chateau Feuillet. It is made by the grape Petit Rogue which is only grown in Valle D'Aosta in Italy. It is not a heavy wine but a medium bodied wine with a taste of cherries and liquorice. Very good wine.

Next are the wine Coste Di Riavolo by producer San Fereolo whoch is from the Langhe DOC Bianco. This is a wite wine and since it is from 2010 I had high expectations from it. But I were dissapointed, a weak taste and not to my liking.

South Tyrol or Alto Adige as it is called in Italian makes very good white wines. A new producer for me is Peter Zemmer. I tasted the wine Chardonnay from 2010. this were better than the previous wine. Nice wine but I had better Chardonnays from Alto Adige.

I don't drink so much wine from Germany but when I see wine from Franken I usually try to buy a bottle. Producer Brennfleck has made a wine which is by the grape Silvaner and it is a dry one. It is from 2013 and the taste is of Peaches, hoey and spices. Very good wine.

From white to red and north to south

One regions wines that is impossible to find in Sweden is Valle D'Aosta in the northern part of Italy bordering France.  Many of the grapes used in Valle D'Aosta is more French than Italian. One grape used is the Petite Arvine. It gives a white wine that I like. I have tried the producer Les Cretes wine made by this grape with no oak. The colour were straw yellow.  The taste is of fruits, minerality and lingering grapefruit. Very good, fresh and rich. When I visited Valle D'Aoste I had the chance to visit Les Cretes. It is beautifully situated in the Aoste valley and is nice to visit. Still have their Fumin wine to taste.

Down in Sicily the local grapes Gracianico and Catarratto were used to produce the wine Lausu Bianco from producer Costantino. The taste is of apples, strong citrus and an aftertaste of grapefruit. Very good wine.

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to sample a bottle from producer Mazzei. Now is the time for yet another of their bottles. Namely their Belgvardo Serrata from 2012. It is a blend of San Giovese and Alicante aged 12 months in barrels. The nose is very strong and it smells very good. The taste is rich and complex. Dark cherries, sage and vanilla. Very good.