Welcome to the Aosta Valley
by Dixon Brooke
© Luke Kammann
© Luke Kammann
Welcome to the Aosta Valley
by Dixon Brooke
The Monte Bianco tunnel leads you into the western edge of the Valle d’Aosta by car, exiting suddenly and beautifully into the Alpine ski town of Courmayeur. The Aosta Valley, named after its principal town, cuts west to east before turning south and leading you into the Po Valley and the wines of Piedmont. The mesmerizingly rugged valley is characterized by sheer cliffs on either side—tall, majestic granite peaks more fitting for mountain goats than vines. Incredibly, a precious few hectares of terraced vines cling to the hillsides, mostly to supply the locals with their daily sustenance. The overwhelming majority of the grape farmers here take their grapes to a local cooperative, so estate-bottled wine in this neck of the woods is one of the rarest of Italian wines.
Winemaker Maurizio Fiorano is one of the brightest stars in the region and his wines below deliver pure, unique expressions of their Alpine terroir.
Wines In The Collection
Château Feuillet Italy | Valle d’Aosta
A one-of-a-kind, high-altitude, fully dry Moscato. Bright fruit and granitic minerality in an utterly thirst-quenching package.
Château Feuillet Italy | Valle d’Aosta
True to the region, it has exuberant, piquant fruit, both peppery and floral throughout.
Château Feuillet Italy | Valle d’Aosta
Fumin truly is, as Feuillet’s vigneron Maurizio Fiorano puts it, “an age-old pearl of local enology.”
Château Feuillet Italy | Valle d’Aosta
This rare red variety has a straightforward freshness and light herbal spiciness.
Château Feuillet Italy | Valle d’Aosta
The grapes are dried for several days after harvest, then pressed and aged in barrel to give an equally lively red with a bit more guts and bass notes.
Italy | Valle d’Aosta
A one-of-a-kind, high-altitude, fully dry Moscato. Bright fruit and granitic minerality in an utterly thirst-quenching package.
Italy | Valle d’Aosta
True to the region, it has exuberant, piquant fruit, both peppery and floral throughout.
Italy | Valle d’Aosta
Fumin truly is, as Feuillet’s vigneron Maurizio Fiorano puts it, “an age-old pearl of local enology.”
Italy | Valle d’Aosta
This rare red variety has a straightforward freshness and light herbal spiciness.
Italy | Valle d’Aosta
The grapes are dried for several days after harvest, then pressed and aged in barrel to give an equally lively red with a bit more guts and bass notes.
More Collections
Coast to Coast on the Half Shell
Oysters, like wine, reflect their terroir. Those from the choppy, cold, and salty Atlantic have smooth, shallow shells. Their delicate, slightly translucent flesh is clean and crisp, with a refreshing burst of brine. The Pacific Ocean is gentler and more mild; its oysters are deep-cupped with scalloped edges, and the pearly, opaque flesh has a richer, creamy texture, with a kiss of melony sweetness...
Twenty Years of An Extraordinary Partnership in Chablis
Rewind twenty years to the birth of Domaine Costal, a singular collaboration between Chablis’s historic Collet family and Kermit, whose appetite for classic Chablis was—and still is—insatiable. As the story goes, Kermit asked vigneron Gilles Collet to separate a little juice from each harvest, age it the traditional way...
An Iconic Family’s Most Approachable Wines
Over the last 130 years, as each new generation of the Brunier family has come of age, the elders have carved out a lane for the younger generation to grow and express themselves. In 1891, the original Henri Brunier purchased plots of the wooded, stony plateau in Châteauneuf-du-Pape known as La Crau for his son Hippolyte, who cleared parts of the land to plant his first vine stocks. Nearly a century later...
New Arrivals
Here is a collection of recent arrivals. Every week, we’ll be adding a dozen or more new arrivals, so check back often for your favorite classics or new discoveries!
The Carpe Vinum Collection
An ever-changing offering of wines that are just about to sell out; one last opportunity to seize a range of selections before they disappear from our shelves forever.
50th Anniversary Merchandise
When the esteemed French wine artist Michel Tolmer created beautiful artwork for our 50th anniversary, we knew right away that we had to feature it on a few select items of merch. After spending maybe a little too much time researching the options, we landed on a classy, leather-strap cap, a comfortable t-shirt made from 100% cotton, and a tote made with incredibly sturdy, fair-trade, and organic cotton by a certified B corp that invests in the livelihoods of women and farmers of India, featuring three wine sleeves and two other compartments for all of your other needs!
Recent Wine Club Selections
Our five wine clubs feature our best values from France and Italy as well as complex and cellar-worthy wines.