“From what amounts to a backyard garden in the foothills of Mont Blanc, this rustic/refined red is a one-of-a-kind wine experience. Given its minuscule production, it’s amazing to find it in the US market!”
David Lynch, Sommelier & Editorial Director, From Somm Select
Grown in the shadow of Mont Blanc, Enfer d’Arvier is the kind of wine which, under normal circumstances, would only be found in a few places in its remote region of origin—the mountainous Valle d’Aosta, in northwestern-most Italy—and at the “cellar door” itself. The fact that a fairly significant portion of Thomain’s production, which totals around 500-800 cases depending on the vintage, makes it to our shores is an example of what really fuels the best import companies: passion. This ethereal mountain red, based on the native Petit Rouge grape grown in some of the highest-elevation vineyards in Europe, is not only straight-up delicious but truly like nothing else in wine. The soils of the zone are a sandy glacial moraine, and while the spicy, floral Petit Rouge is the principal grape variety (comprising a minimum 85% of the blend by law), there are also smatterings of Gamay, Pinot Noir, Dolcetto, and other local varieties in the mix. Thomain’s ’18 is 100% Petit Rouge and is aged in tank for about nine months, creating a vibrant, fresh, strikingly complex red to rival the greats of Cru Beaujolais, the Savoie, Burgenland, and Baden. - Somm Select