Pianta Grossa. '396' Vallee d'Aoste Nebbiolo

Vallee d'Aoste Nebbiolo DOC
Grapes: 90% Nebbiolo (known locally as Picotendro)  and 10% of Fumin, Vien de Nus, Neyret and Freisa

2021 was a relatively cool vintage, producing pure rose garden aromas, medium-bodied with immaculate, spring-water fresh wild strawberry fruit.  A beautifully made wine, that is very much in the Burgundian mould.

Pianta Grossa producer page

Named after the enormous chestnut tree that once stood (for 396 years) in the farmyard. the thinking behind this wine is to create a fresh, accessible, elegant Nebbiolo.  The grapes are picked in the second part of October and cold macerated* before a temperature-controlled fermentation in steel tanks for 20 days.  The wine is then aged in steel tanks for 8 months before bottling.
The soils were originally carried by hand from the valley floor and backfilled into the dry stone terraces. So, soils are morainic, with a high proportion of sand.  The trellis system is known as Pergola Valdostana, adapted for centuries to meet the needs of the local farmers.