Our journey this month takes us first to Valle d’Aosta, an autonomous Italian region nestled into the mountains above Piedmont, Italy that considers itself more French than Italian, for a hand-crafted Chardonnay of amazing depth.  Then, just North to Minervois, for the top wine from an estate that has taken the concept of “hand-made” to new extremes (and new heights). And lastly, in an hemispheric about face, to the mountainous vineyards of Vistalba, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina for a wine that combines power and elegance with an artistry rarely seen anywhere.  Salud y amor y tiempo para disfrutarlo! (South American toast: “health and love and time to enjoy it”).

To see detailed descriptions of your wines, click here, or follow “The Next Big Thing January ‘09″ link in the column to the right.

Home to the Italian face of the Matterhorn, Mount Blanc and Mount Rosa, in the Northwestern corner of Italy (surrounded by Piemonte), where the French, Swiss and Italian alps meet, Valle d’Aosta is a remote and beautiful region that has only begun to be recognized for its true vinous potential. The combination of elevation, which allows for longer growing seasons due to cooler temperatures, steep slopes, which provide excellent sun exposure allowing the grapes to get fully ripe despite the cooler temperatures, and the infertile, well drained soil composed of sand and calcareous rocks all work together to provide a nearly perfect spot for high-quality, low-yield grape-growing. This is particularly true of the Dora Baltea Valley in which all of Les Cretes’ vineyards are planted (the rest of the region tends to be cooler). Add to this the French, Italian and German heritage of the people, and the potential for beautiful wines becomes clear. For more on the climate, history and political situation in the region (the latter two topics are fascinating) there is a great, very complete, Wikipedia article on Valle d’Aosta that is well worth your time.

The Charrère family emigrated from France to what is now the Aosta Valley in the mid 1700’s. They still live on the original property near Aymaville. However, the family didn’t even grow grapes until 1955, and then began with only two hectares (about 5 acres). By 1989 they had 25 hectares, and built the winery that became . Now run by two generations of Charrères, Constantino and Imelda, along with their daughters Elena and Eleonora, quality has always been the focus at La Crêtes. Low yields (really low), reasoned agriculture, and a hands-on approach that stresses vineyards over winemaking characterize their small production of 19,000 cases spread among ten different wines.

Cuvée Frissoniére Chardonnay comes from the family’s Vigne Champorette Vineyard in their home commune of Amyaville. The vines face both North and South, and have an average age of 15 years. No oak is used in ageing, yet the wine is notably rich and complex. This is a powerful wine, and should be served cool, but definitely not cold, if it’s in the fridge, take the wine out for 30 -50 minutes before serving (or if you’re in a rush, set it in room temp water for 5 minutes). This wine also really shows its stuff with a little air, so decant it, or at least give it a good swirl in the glass. Because of the great acidity and crisp, citrus, apple and mineral characters, think of this as the ideal wine for almost any fish, also for lighter poultry and pork. It also has a perfect mix of rich and snappy to handle those perennially hard vegetables like brussel sprouts, and asparagus, while also performing admirably with a wide variety of cheeses (avoid the soft, stinky ones). While drinking shockingly well now, this wine will continue to develop and improve for five years, and should hold for ten or more. Drink now-2019.

Minervois, particularly the superior cru of La Livinière, where L’Oustal Blanc is located, has the potential to make amazing wines. Hot and dry, and isolated from any oceanic influence by the cliffs at the foot of the Montagne Noir, with a  dry soil consisting of mostly stones over a limestone subsoil, La Livinière provides an ideal climate for grapes.  Add to this the 100+ year old Carignan and 50+ year old Grenache of L’Oustal Blanc’s vineyards, and something magical could happen.

L’Oustal Blanc is owned and farmed by Claude Fonquerle, and made with the assistance of the famous Chateauneuf-du-Pape enological consultant Philipe Cambi.  With a goal of encouraging the intergrowth of plants, bugs and microorganisms to keep the soil healthy, the only chemical used is Bordeaux Mixture, and the only machine in the vineyard is a 4-wheel ATV in order to keep from compacting the soil. Grapes for the wines are rigorously sorted three times, first by the pickers, before they are placed in twelve kilogram netted boxes (boxes are small and netted to prevent crushing the grapes and causing oxidation), then again after they are removed from the chiller (they are chilled for 24 hours after picking, again to prevent oxidation), and once more after they are de-stemmed.  This ensures that only the most perfect berries make it to the wine.  In the case of Maestoso, the Grenache is fermented and macerated for 30-60 days in demi-muids (500 liter, upright, old oak barrels) and the Syrah and Carignan are fermented in tank, then aged for 12 months in new French oak barriques (225 liter barrels).   The complete fermentation and malo-lactic fermentation are done in contact with the skins to assist with extraction and to prevent oxidation.  The point is, this is seriously hands-on wine making.

75 cases of 2005 Maestoso were imported to the US.  The wine is a deep purple-red color, and has an impressive nose of baking spice, cherry and blackberry liqueurs, along with smoky, grilled meats.  On the palate the wine is rich and powerful, yet without a rough edge.  Most impressively for its size, the wine is incredibly fresh, tasting like nothing so much as fresh un-adulterated fruit.  The finish is long and glorious, and it’s very hard not to drink the bottle in one, short, sitting.  This is a great wine for red meat, particularly game, rare aged steaks, and lamb, but it is also a great wine for well-salted dishes made from wild mushrooms, or for blue cheese.  Whatever you eat with it, make sure it’s got some flavor.  This wine also does nobly with moderately spicy foods (not quite up to Thai, but great for most styles of Barbeque or for Southwestern food).