Caves Cooperatives de Donnas 2020 'Barmet' Valle d'Aosta Nebbiolo

Lighter-toned than its pricier Nebbiolo siblings grown in Barolo or Barbaresco, but this one is ready to drink now and is utterly delightful. In the glass the wine is a light red, offering aromas of wet stone (petricor - the scent of rain falling on dry earth) with red fruits and violets and some bramble fruits finishing with spice notes.

IMHO, there is much to be said for a wine offering immediate drinking pleasure and here the curious wine lover finds an additional reason for intrigue - the cooler climate yields an entirely different Nebbiolo experience. Fans of more traditional Nebby might even find this wine difficult to identify in blind tastings (though they's still say "yum", I bet)!

A chillable red for your next cheese platter, fondue, or peppered salami snack. A versatile food wine due to its lythe body and mouth-watering profile.

Although the label says 'Nebbiolo', the local name for the grape is actually 'Picotendro', and it makes up the vast majority of the Donnas region's plantings.

Wines from Donnas must age for 24 months (a minimum of 10 must be in oak), which softens the tannins and adds some bottle complexity one rarely sees in a wine under $30!

This cooperative takes its name from the town of Donnas, with grapes coming from family vineyards scattered around four surrouding municipalities. Terraced, hillside vineyards with dizzyingly steep slopes are the norm here, so mechanical harvesting isn't an option. And labor is scarce, so picking crews sometimes consists of aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, hitchikers, people growers met in the pub the day before harvest...

Vines are trained into Pergolas here, allowing the warmth reflected from the ground to be evenly distributed to every cluster, ensuring even ripening and maturity.

The Caves du Donnas earned AOC status back in 1971, and today enjoys sufficient success to sell most of its product locally without the need to export. So this is a rare treat. The well-heeled winery is equipped with the best equipment and expertise that money can buy.