Cave des Onze Communes -- 2019 Petite Arvine -- Vallée D’Aosta, Italy

Cave des Onze Communes -- 2019 Petite Arvine -- Vallée D’Aosta, Italy

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In the far Northwest, French speaking part of Italy, the Petite Arvine grape produces wine that smells like the alpine meadows that neighbor it's high elevation vineyards. (Riiicolaaa!) Cave des Onze Communes (OWNZ co-MOON) is an admired cooperative of growers from eleven villages (onze is French for eleven) who are incentivized to farm in carefully sustainable ways. The origin of the grape is disputed by the neighboring regions of Switzerland, France and Italy, but it is undoubtedly from somewhere near these borders. Petite Arvine clearly makes high quality wines, but is somewhat fussy in the vineyard. It is early budding and late ripening, thus increasing the risk of weather-related injuries, it needs sunny sites that are protected from the wind so its grapes can reach full ripeness, yet it is also susceptible to mildew, botrytis, bunch rot and mites, but needs sites which are not too dry. Petite Arvine is rather productive, but apparently not enough to compensate for its challenges and it is therefore planted very little, and usually rather expensive. When we found this example on the lower end of the expensive spectrum we snatched it up. With bracing acidity balancing a full, textured mouthfeel, it is the traditional accompaniment for some of our favorite foods: melted raclette cheese with cornichons, smoked ham terrine and pan-fried white fish with lemon-butter and capers.