Discovering Torrette from tiny Valle d’Aosta (#ItalianFWT)

What a discovery!

There I was, in the Pennsylvania state liquor store (which, by the way, I sometimes knock), shopping for the southern Italian wine I found online and thought I’d feature for this month’s Italian Food, Wine and Travel (#ItalianFWT) post. Scanning the shelves, I spied a Valle d’Aosta place name I didn’t recognize – Torrette. “Why not?” I asked myself.

After I brought home my Torrette, I researched the label and found a glowing review from Codey Foster, wine director at Ancona’s Wine in Ridgefield, CT, that further whetted my appetite for this wine. He called this Torrette “one of the great gems of the Val d’Aosta”; its winemaker, Vincent Grosjean, “the jolly patriarch” of the region; and said the 2015 vintage “is simply exceptional.”

“Oh, man,” I’m now thinking, “did I luck out or what?”

Can’t wait to chat about this region and all the lesser-known Italian wine regions that fellow bloggers are exploring for the Twitter chat on Saturday, Dec. 7. Please join us beginning at 11 am ET by following the hashtag, #ItalianFWT.

The region – Valle d’Aosta
Tucked into the extreme northwest corner of Italy and hugging the French border, the remote Valle d’Aosta is a bona fide sociological study of cross-cultural influences. Then, of course, there are the mountain peaks and medieval castles that lend a fairy-tale aura (think “Frozen”) to the entire region. The Gran San Bernardo tunnels and “extraordinary engineering masterpieces” under Mount Blanc connect this section of Italy to the rest of Europe.

From Wikipedia, here are some key facts:

• Covering an area of 1,260 square miles and with a population of about 128,000, the Valle d’Aosta is the smallest, least populous, and least densely populated region of Italy. It is the only Italian region that is not sub-divided into provinces.
• Valle d’Aosta is an Alpine valley, which, with its tributary valleys, includes the highest Italian peak, Mont Blanc (15,780 feet), as well as Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso (the oldest national park in Italy, home to ibex, chamois, eagles, and marmots), and the Matterhorn. It is the highest region in Italy.
• The name Valle d’Aosta literally means “Valley of Augustus.”The first inhabitants of the region were Celts and Ligures, whose languages remain in some local place names. Rome conquered the region around 25 BC and founded Augusta Prætoria Salassorum (modern-day Aosta) to secure the strategic mountain passes.
• Italian and French are the official languages. Valle d’Aosta was the first government authority to adopt Modern French as the official language in 1536, three years before France itself. Education is conducted in both languages. Italian is much more widely spoken in everyday life, and French is mostly spoken in cultural life.
• Much of the native population also speaks Valdôtain, a dialect of Arpitan (Franco-Provençal), commonly known as patois or patoué. About half of the population can speak all three languages.

Torrette is the name of a sub-region within the Valle d’Aosta and the indigenous, Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP) red wine produced there. DOPlaws protect the names of specialty food products with a specific geographic origin and thus ensure their quality.

From wine-searcher.com:

• Valle d’Aosta Torrette DOP wines are produced predominantly from the Petit Rouge grape variety. By law, this dark-skinned grape must comprise at least 70% of the blend.
• Valle d’Aosta has a cold continental climate with sunny days and very little rainfall, thanks to its location in the rain shadow of the western Alps. Compared with the French region of Savoie, on the other side of the mountains, Valle d’Aosta vineyards are planted predominantly to red grape varieties.
• The central part of the Valle d’Aosta, where the Torrette vineyards lie, is oriented east to west, and vineyards can be found stretching up the sides of the surrounding mountains to altitudes of about 2,600 feet above sea level.

The wine – 2015 Grosjean Torrette Vallée D’Aoste DOP
80% Petit Rouge and 20% Vien de Nus, Doucet, Fumin, and Mayolet.

Haven’t heard of these grapes? Not surprising. Native to the region, they are found nowhere else.

Grandpa Dauphin Grosjean started the family wine business in 1968, when he bottled his first wine from grapes on land inherited by his wife. His first successful venture was the II Exposition des Vins du Val d’Aoste. This success encouraged him to purchase more land and expand the estate to almost 40 acres today. A new winery was built in 2000 to hold the increased volume. In the more than 50 years of operation, all five sons – Vincent, Giorgio, Marco, Fernand and Eraldo – committed themselves to the business, each according to his own expertise.

In particular, brothers Vincent and Eraldo Grosjean worked closely together until recently to produce the Torrette, Pinot Noir, Gamay, and other wines that captured the acclaim of reviewers and notice of importer Neal Rosenthal. Vincent began vinifying wines using indigenous yeast beginning in 2004. Eraldo, meanwhile, was responsible for upkeep of the vines that were certified organic in 2011. At the beginning of 2018, the winery officially passed into the hands of the third generation: Hervé, Simon, Didier, and son-in-law Marco.

On the website, they pose the question that sums up their vision:

“How can we live in such a close contact with our terroir without a crazy desire to preserve and valorise it?… Once you are committed to a mission, you need to take out all the strength and willpower in order to realise it.”

Petit Rouge and the other grapes that go into the Grosjean Torrette are grown in very sandy, dry, and slightly calcareous soil on steep slopes (greater than 70% grade). Both mechanical and manual harvesting techniques are used, but only organic manure. No insecticides nor acaricides are used – not even chemical weeding. The wine is aged in stainless steel; it doesn’t see oak.

My tasting notes: Pale ruby red in color. Aromas of red cherry and rose (the spouse got apple, too), followed by a pleasing palate of tart cranberry, stony minerality, and hints of licorice and black pepper. Light body. Medium acidity. Long, beautiful finish. So well blended and balanced that no one aroma or taste dominates. This fetching wine is often compared to Beaujolais for its red-fruit tartness. Alcohol: 13%. Price: $21.99.

Though Vincent Grosjean uses only a third of the permitted sulphur, his Torrette and other wines were made in such an oxygen-deprived environment that the Torrette may need a little time to open up. Serve chilled.

The pairing – Fontina cheese and toasted rye bread
My luck continued to hold as I read about the regional cuisine. It is characterized by simplicity. Woo Hoo! Meals are basically meat and potatoes, rye bread, polenta and Fontina, a DOP cow’s milk cheese that originates in the valley.

And then, the ultimate good fortune: my local Wegman’s grocery store carries Valle d’Aosta Fontina cheese. On toasted rye, this mild and slightly nutty cheese is nothing short of amazing with the Torrette. One of those magical pairings, really.

We went on to enjoy the Torrette alongside a turkey meatball stew with potatoes in a tomato broth, and yes, the wine complemented the meal. But oh, that cheese and rye bread! I’d be happy with that combo all day, every day.

Take a look below at other wine regions to explore and please join us on Saturday for the #ItalianFWT chat.

• Jennifer from Vino Travels shares Sangiovese of Le Marche with Agricola La Canosa.
• Wendy from A Day in The Life on the Farm pairs Venison Stew with the Hidden Gem of Sicily, Nero d’Avola.
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Cam brings Italy Meets Argentina: Empanadas de Carne + Azienda Bisceglia Terra di Vulcano Aglianico del Vulture 2016.
• Gwen from Wine Predator shares 3 Surprising Sparklers from Emilia Romagna’sTerramossa.
• Cindy from Grape Experiences gives us Montecucco – An Obscure, Delicious Slice ofTuscany.
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass is Discovering Torrette from Tiny Valle d’Aosta.
• Lynn from Savor the Harvest is about to Head to Italy’s Lazio Wine Region for Cesanese.
• Katarina from Grape Vine Adventures takes us to Calabria with Sustainable Wines for the Curious Mind from Calabria.
• And Susannah at Avvinare will be posting about Basilicata and its Viticultural Gems.