Date of visit: September 28, 2021
A bit about the winery:
Feudo di San Maurizio is located in the town of Sarre in the Valle d’Aosta. Led by owner and winemaker Michel Vallet, this small, unassuming facility is turning out some of the finest expressions of the region’s indigenous grape varieties. It all began in 1989 when Michel produced his first vintage from a miniscule 700 square meter vineyard that he’d purchased. Prior to this, Michel had never made wine, had no formal training, and had no family members who produced wine. According to Michel, the first couple of vintages that he produced didn’t turn out the way he’d hoped. However, over the years through trial and error, self taught Michel Vallet has become one of the most talented and well-respected winemakers in the Valle d’Aosta, and has played a huge role in the resurrection of the region’s forgotten about indigenous grape varieties.
Nearly all of Michel’s vineyards are located on extremely steep slopes, and are therefore nearly all of them are terraced. Most of these sites, Michel, has personally terraced himself with the help of just a few employees. Many of these sites had been abandoned and neglected for decades, and Michel restored them. Michel is constantly seeking out new prime vineyard sites to purchase to further elevate quality. In order to finance the acquisition of these new sites, Michel sells every single bottle of wine that he produces each year, keeping nothing in his cellar to age, even for personal consumption. Michel is a proud non-interventionist, both in the vineyard and in the cellar. In the vineyards, grass and weeds are left to grow between vineyard rows, no irrigation is used, chemical treatments are minimal, yields are kept low, and grape selection is rigorous. In the cellar, Michel maintains a similar hands-off approach, intervening only when necessary.
Michel’s passion for the work that he’s doing in the Valle d’Aosta is evident the moment you speak to him and is admirable. Michel isn’t concerned with mass appeal, or commercial success, if he was, he wouldn’t have planted the forgotten grape varieties that he did. This isn’t a job for Michel, but rather a way of life, and a passion of his. Michel doesn’t have a website, or social media of any kind. He has an email address, but admittedly doesn’t check it regularly. The only form of technology he utilizes is a no-frills cell phone, the kind that flips open and close and can simply make and receive calls, this is all by choice. Michel is so devoted to his craft that he doesn’t have time nor does he want to incorporate any more technology into his routine. We think that many people these days can benefit by taking a page out of Michel’s book.
Our visit:
We arrived at Feudo di San Maurizio on September 28th and were greeted by Michel Vallet himself. We sat down on a long bench inside the room where we’d be tasting, and Michel began to gather some wines for us to try. He pointed to a shelf which probably had over a dozen different bottles on it, all with different labels, and explained these are all the different wines he produces. We were surprised to see so many different wines being produced by a single producer, particularly one as small as Feudo di San Maurizio.Michel told us he has approximately 10 hectares of vines scattered across over 40 tiny vineyard plots, and despite this mind boggling ratio, he hopes to expand further. As we tried to wrap our minds around these staggering numbers, and the immense amount of work that must go into managing these vineyards and producing all of these different wines, Michel turned on a TV adjacent to where we were sitting, and began playing a slideshow of the different vineyard sites. We began the tasting, and as we tasted, Michel would periodically pause the slideshow and explain what we were looking at, where the vineyard is located, how old the vines are, what year he personally terraced the vineyard, etc. The photos, which were breathtaking, were all timestamped with the date and time they were taken, and were all taken by Michel himself. Perhaps the most astonishing of all the photos was one that was taken at approximately 4:00am. At first glance, it appeared as though a portion of the vineyard may have been on fire. Michel explained that the photo was taken during a night when there had been a cold snap, grapes were hanging on the vines, and Michel was worried that they may not survive due to the frigid temperatures. Michel drove to the vineyard and built a series of large fires to warm the vines to prevent them from dying. Michel’s unparalleled level of dedication became evident as we continued to speak with him during the tasting. We continued through the slideshow as we tasted the wines. It was fun, fascinating, educational, and at times mind boggling, but above all it was just enjoyable. We soon felt right at home and like we’d quickly made a new friend.
Harvest:
When the tasting was over, we asked Michel if we could help with the harvest which was currently underway, he agreed, and told us to come back in 2 days.
We arrived at 7:00am on September 30th at Michel’s small bar located above the Feudo di San Maurizio cantina. We enjoyed an espresso with Michel, he introduced some of his friends, who’d be assisting with the harvest, and his son who was assisting with some of the winemaking in the cellar prior to school. This is also where we met Michel’s unbelievably kind and generous friend Alice, who graciously took it upon herself to give us an extensive tour of several of Michel’s vineyard sites for many hours. Prior to leaving the winery, Alice took us downstairs to the cellar, where Michel’s son and friend were currently in the process of doing pump overs. They invited us to climb on top of the large stainless steel tanks which were quite tall and watch the process. This was something we’d never witnessed before in person and was a very cool thing to see first hand. We then left the cantina with Alice, and began the tour of Michel’s vineyards. We saw first hand the incredibly steep terraced vineyard sites, saw and tasted grapes such as Petit Arvine, Gewürztraminer, Mayolet, Vuillermin, and many others, and also assisted with a small portion of the Cornalin harvest. This was without a doubt one of the highlights of our trip, and Feudo di San Maurizio will forever hold a special place in our hearts.
Our tasting notes
2020 Petite Arvine: Produced from 100% Petite Arvine grapes, a Swiss grape variety that’s also commonly planted in the Valle d’Aosta. The vines for this wine were planted in 1970, and the 2020 vintage was bottled just 1 month ago. Aromas of fresh green apples, peaches, and citrus. The palate is crisp, and filled with citrus notes, with vibrant, fresh acidity, and a persistent finish. Complex and well balanced. Extremely enjoyable now, but can also age. When we asked Michel how long he thinks the wine can age for, he said it’s hard to say, but likely several years, and reminded us that he doesn’t keep any wines in his cellar, he sells everything every year.
2020 Gewurztraminer Grapillon: Produced from 100% Gewürztraminer grapes. Aromas of peaches on the nose. The palette is filled with flavors of grapefruit and lychee with crisp, bright, laser-focused acidity. Fruity, but not sweet. Persistent finish. Bottled in December 2020, Michel recommends waiting approximately 1 more year prior to drinking. A fantastic expression of this grape, and one of our favorite wines of the tasting.
2016 XXII Settembre: Produced from 100% Prié Blanc grapes, the oldest documented grape variety in the Valle d’Aosta, with its oldest mention dating back to 1691. Prié Blanc is believed to be one of the parent varietals of several other grapes indigenous to the region. It only grows in steep terraced slopes, in some of the highest sites of any grape varietal in all of Europe, and is cultivated almost exclusively in the Valle d’Aosta. The wine is named XXII Settembre, as the wine is to be consumed on September 22nd, the day of the San Maurizio Feast. The nose is filled with aromas of apricots which carry over to the palate along with some notes of fresh baked bread.
2019 Mayolet: Made from 100% Mayolet grapes, a grape indigenous to the Valle’dAosta. Ruby red appearance. Beautiful, pronounced aromas of raspberries, cherries, pomegranates, and roses, with faint hints of smoke, pine, and cedar which carry over to the palette alongside vibrant acidity. Light to medium body, with a smooth, almost creamy mouth feel, yet very focused. Our first time trying a wine from this very unique grape variety, and we absolutely loved it. One of our all-time favorite wines that we tasted during our trip to the Valle d’Aosta.
2019 Torrette: In order for a wine to be labeled as “Torette”, DOC regulations require that it contain a minimum of 70% Petit Rouge. Feudo di San Maurizio’s Torette, is a blend of 70% Petit Rouge and 30% Fumin. Aromas of cedar, smoke, and ripe raspberries. The palette is filled with almost unexpected fruity flavors of raspberries and pomegranates, along with some spices, and a faint hint of green bell pepper.
2019 Vuillermin: Made from 100% Vuillermin grapes, an indigenous grape variety of the region which nearly went extinct in the early 1900s. The nose is floral and filled with aromas of roses, raspberries, strawberries, and cherries, which carry over to the palette along with a touch of tar. Silky smooth mouthfeel, medium body, and a persistent finish. Almost Nebbiolo-like in terms of aromas and flavors, but the similarities stop there. It’s much less tannic, fruitier, lighter bodied, and has a smoother mouthfeel, especially for a wine so young. Like most of the indigenous varieties tasted today, this was our first time trying Vuillermin, and we really enjoyed it, a fantastic wine.
2018 Rouge Château de Sarre: Made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes, utilizing 3 different clones; 50% Nebbiolo (Lampia), 25% Picotener, 25% Chiavennasca. These vines are grown in Michel’s newly acquired vineyard site, which is a series of terraced steps surrounding the breathtaking Castello Reale di Sarre (Sarre Royal Castle), which is illustrated on the wine’s label. Aromas of strawberries, raspberries, vanilla, and espresso. On the palette there are flavors of tart red fruit, roses, and some spice notes.
2018 Pierrots: Made from 70% Petit Rouge and 30% Fumin (the same blend of grapes used in Torrette). Grapes are harvested in August and September, and then left to dry in boxes for a few months to concentrate sugars. We tasted this dessert wine after touring Michel’s vineyards and harvesting Cornalin. Extremely aromatic nose, filled with well-defined pronounced aromas of apricots, along with some elderberries, balsamic, cassis, and white and black pepper. The palate is filled with flavors of cooked raspberries, strawberries, and grapes, along with plums, raisins, black pepper and baking spices. Very persistent finish. Although this is a dessert wine, it’s not extraordinarily sweet, but rather more similar to an off-dry wine or perhaps just a little sweeter than off-dry.
Thank you
Thank you, Alice, Michel, and everyone who helped make the incredible wines of Feudo di San Maurizio, and who helped make our visit possible. Michel, your achievements with the indigenous grapes of the Valle d’Aosta are extraordinary, as are your wines. Special thanks to Ian d’Agata who recommended this amazing winery to us. Thank you again, we hope to see you very soon. Grazie mille! A presto!
Comments