Why it matters
The producer
In the hamlet of Ollignan, on the boundary between Quart and Saint Christophe in Valle d'Aosta, the Grosjean family farms seven hectares of mountain vineyards across two municipalities. The estate is built on indigenous varieties: Petit Rouge is the spine of the red range, supported by Fumin, Cornalin, Vuillermin and Premetta, while Petite Arvine anchors the whites and Chardonnay and Pinot Nero go into the traditional-method sparkling wine. The family name appears in Valle d'Aosta records from around the sixteenth century, and the current estate traces its modern roots to Dauphin Grosjean, who cultivated land his wife had inherited at Creton in Quart. In 2018 the estate passed to the third generation: Hervé, Didier, Simon and Marco.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Ollignan sits on the edge of Quart, a commune in the central Valle d'Aosta not far from Aosta itself. The estate's named parcels spread across two municipalities: Tzeriat, Rovettaz, Creton and Touren in Quart, and Tzante de Bagnere, Merletta and Castello di Pleod in Saint Christophe. This dispersal across multiple sites gives the estate access to different slopes and exposures on the steep terraced vineyards that characterise the valley. The DOC Vallée d'Aoste covers the estate's main bottlings, including Torrette, an appellation tied to Petit Rouge grown on the slopes above Aosta.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The estate began with Petit Rouge, Gamay, Pinot Noir and Petite Arvine, then expanded into local varieties including Fumin, Cornalin, Premetta and Vuillermin. Farming has been free of insecticide and acaricide treatments since 1975, with fertilisation from organic materials only. Organic certification followed in 2011, which the estate describes as the first awarded in Valle d'Aosta. In the cellar, fermentation uses natural yeasts, and the house approach targets minimal intervention: the wines are allowed to ferment naturally under close monitoring. Torrette is aged in stainless-steel vats. Montmary Rosé is made by the traditional method, spending 15 to 18 months on its lees before disgorgement.
Wines to know
The range in view
Torrette is the estate's anchoring red: a Vallée d'Aoste DOC wine built primarily on Petit Rouge (the producer's current technical sheet gives 95%, though introductory copy on the same page gives 80%) alongside other indigenous black varieties. Aged in stainless steel, it keeps the mountain fruit vivid and the tannins soft. Montmary Rosé Metodo Classico Extra Brut is the sparkling wine, a traditional-method rosé from Chardonnay and Pinot Nero in equal parts, disgorged after 15 to 18 months on its lees with an extra-brut dosage that keeps it dry and mineral-edged. Beyond these two, the estate's range draws on the local varieties planted across its seven named parcels, including Fumin and Cornalin, both capable of producing red wines with more grip and aromatic depth than Petit Rouge.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Torrette is the bottle that introduces the estate. It is a red wine from the Vallée d'Aoste DOC built primarily on Petit Rouge, the indigenous variety most closely associated with the slopes above Aosta, fermented with natural yeasts and aged in stainless steel to preserve the mountain-fruit character. The aromas run to blackberry and blueberry, the tannins are soft, and the crispness on the finish reflects the altitude and the light-handed cellar work. Petit Rouge does not carry the recognition of Nebbiolo or Sangiovese outside the valley, but in this bottle the variety's high-altitude freshness is legible in a single glass.