The Donnas DOC was the very first appellation established in Valle d'Aosta back in 1971, and it is widely considered the "mountain sibling" of Barolo. Here, Nebbiolo is known locally as Picotendro, a clone perfectly adapted to the thin air and biting cold of the Alps.
The Caves Coopératives de Donnas is the beating heart of this tiny appellation. Formed by a dedicated group of local growers, this cooperative is the ultimate guardian of "heroic viticulture." The vineyards here are a breathtaking architectural marvel, clinging to impossibly steep cliffs on terraces supported by ancient dry-stone walls. The vines are trained on traditional wooden pergolas anchored by massive stone pillars that absorb the sun’s heat during the day and radiate it back to the grapes at night.
Because of this extreme terroir, this Nebbiolo behaves differently than its Piedmontese cousins. It sheds the heavy, gripping weight, favoring instead a lifted, nervous energy. It's a testament to human perseverance in the mountains, offering alpine freshness, dried rose, and wild mountain herbs.
2018 Donnas Classico Valle D Aosta
The Caves Coopératives de Donnas is the cooperative winery of Donnas, a small alpine village at the foot of the Valle d’Aosta, where the valley narrows toward the Piedmont border. It unites the growers of an extreme viticultural zone and is the principal guardian of its heroic tradition. The Donnas DOC, established in 1971, was the first appellation in the Valle d’Aosta and is often called the mountain sibling of Barolo.
Nebbiolo here is known locally as Picotendro or Picoutener. The vineyards are an architectural marvel, clinging to steep granite slopes on terraces held up by dry-stone walls, with vines trained on wooden pergolas anchored by stone pillars that absorb the day’s heat and release it to the grapes at night.
The wines are among the most alpine expressions of Nebbiolo anywhere: pale, perfumed with mountain herbs, red berries and dried rose, with a steely, mineral austerity. The Donnas Classico sheds the gripping weight of its Piedmontese cousins for a lifted, nervous energy, a testament to human perseverance in the mountains.