Chardonnay "Le vin de Michel" | Grosjean Vins

Grosjean Vins

Grosjean is a family-run winery in the Aosta Valley, with 16 hectares of vineyards cultivated between Quart and Saint-Christophe. The history of the family and that of mountain viticulture have been intertwined for generations, following a path whose roots go back to the late 18th century. At the end of the 1700s, the maternal grandparents of the Grosjean family descended from Fornet, a small village in Valgrisenche, towards Aosta to obtain chestnuts and wine. At that time, wine played an essential role in the life of Alpine communities: it was a symbol of hospitality, a food and a remedy, as well as a valuable commodity.

Mountain viticulture went through difficult periods, marked by the climatic conditions of the “Little Ice Age,” wars, and the spread of phylloxera. The turning point for the Grosjean family came in 1968, on the occasion of the First Exposition des Vins du Val d’Aosta. The event convinced Dauphin Grosjean to bottle his own wine and offer it for sale at the fair, gradually transforming a family production into a structured winemaking business.

In the following years, Dauphin involved all five of his sons — Vincent, Giorgio, Marco, Fernando, and Eraldo — in production, assigning each of them a specific area of responsibility. The family dimension therefore remained central, accompanying the growth of the estate. In 2011, the winery began its conversion to organic viticulture, distinguishing itself at the time as the first and only estate in the Aosta Valley to undertake this transition.

Aosta

The presence of vines in the Aosta area has been documented since the Bronze Age, with wine production continuing during Roman times. Today, vineyards are mainly found on terraces supported by dry-stone walls, often located at high altitudes and characterized by particularly demanding soil and climatic conditions.

Viticulture is Alpine in character and extends along the valley axis to the highest elevations, reaching up to 1,200 meters above sea level. The climate is characterized by low rainfall, constant ventilation, and significant day-night temperature variations. These conditions favor healthy grapes, relatively rapid ripening, and a well-defined aromatic profile.

The region’s grape heritage is particularly interesting for the presence of numerous native Alpine varieties, adapted to extreme growing conditions and capable of producing wines generally characterized by freshness, aromatic finesse, a vertical structure, and a strong sense of place.

Production is protected by the Valle d’Aosta or Vallée d’Aoste DOC, recognized in 1985 and divided into seven subzones: Arnad-Montjovet, Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle, Chambave-Muscat, Nus-Malvoisie, Petit Rouge and Prëmetta, Torrette, and Enfer d’Arvier. These are joined by the historic recognition of Donnas, the first Aosta Valley wine to receive an appellation in 1971. The production framework includes various styles linked to individual grape varieties and territories, with a strong emphasis on expressions that showcase the local grape heritage.

The Aosta wine-growing area stands out for its high-altitude heroic viticulture, strongly shaped by the Alpine environment and based on the ability of its grape varieties to adapt to slopes, terraces, high elevations, and pronounced diurnal temperature variations.