2022 Grosjean Freres - Valle d'Aosta DOC Vigne Merletta Fumin (750ml)

The Grosjean family's roots trace back to the mountain village of Fornet, high in the Valgrisenche pass, where earlier generations raised cattle and grew grapes and chestnuts on the lower slopes to stock up on wine for the long winters. Everything changed in 1969, when patriarch Dauphin Grosjean was encouraged to enter his wine at a local expo; the quality it showed convinced the whole family to commit to expanding the vineyards in earnest. Sustainable farming took hold by 1975, and today Dauphin's five sons run the estate together, working seven hectares of largely indigenous varieties using organic methods and native-yeast fermentation.

Fumin is considered the most structured and age-worthy red grape grown in the Valle d'Aosta, and Merletta is the estate's most exclusive expression of it, a bottling made specifically for the American market from a dedicated section of vineyard. The grapes ferment spontaneously in wood vats before the wine moves into tonneaux for aging, a process meant to soften and round out Fumin's naturally firm tannins.

The 2022 shows deep, almost opaque color alongside wild berry fruit and real layers of complexity, with tannins that stay surprisingly soft and approachable even this young. It's a wine built for the cellar, but one that also rewards drinking now alongside braised game, wild mushroom dishes, or aged mountain cheeses.