Grosjean, Cornalin, 'Vigne Rovettaz'

Do you ever find yourself wishing to recapture the sense of mystery, wonder and adventure you felt during your first years of falling in love with wine? I certainly do, and in those moments, I often set my GPS for Italy’s remote, Alpine Aosta Valley. Wedged between the French and Swiss alps, Aosta’s vineyards - often planted to grapes cultivated nowhere else on Earth - cling to treacherously steep mountainsides. The best of this region’s wines have an electricity, aromatic vividness and three-dimensional terroir character that reignite my love, curiosity and excitement for wine. Today we are offering one of my favorites - Grosjean’s singular Cornalin Vigne Rovettaz.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that today’s bottle, the 2025 Grosjean Cornalin “Vigne Rovettaz,” might be the greatest imaginable introduction to Aosta red wines. Cornalin is an ancient local grape that almost never leaves the valley (in the rare instances I do encounter it, it’s usually one hour north in Switzerland), producing wines that seem to borrow equal inspiration from cool-climate Pinot Noir, old-school Nebbiolo, and the wild herbs growing between the Alpine rocks. It offers haunting perfume rather than brute force, freshness instead of weight, and an effortless drinkability that always keeps me pouring a second and third glass. The Grosjean family farms a steep south-facing parcel in the Rovettaz cru and has become one of the standard-bearers for the region, crafting wines that feel honest, transparent, and deeply rooted in place. The vineyard sits on sandy glacial moraine soils, and the wine is fermented with minimal intervention before maturing in large oak casks that preserve the grape’s mountain character rather than masking it.

What captivates me most is how defiantly unfashionable this wine feels. In an era when so many Aosta reds chase faux-Burgundian barrel character or technical sheen, Grojean’s Cornalin heads in the opposite direction. It reminds me of the kind of European reds we all fell in love with 20-25 years ago and it’s a wine that could be made nowhere other than this one tiny vineyard. So, if you appreciate wines that tell a story rather than shout for attention, I suspect this bottle will become an obsession. It’s one of those rare discoveries that makes seasoned wine lovers feel like beginners again, opening a door into a place and a grape they never knew existed but instantly want to explore. 

In the cellar, Grosjean treats Cornalin with a remarkably gentle touch, aiming to preserve the grape’s naturally vibrant fruit and mountain-born freshness rather than sculpting it with heavy handed oak. Hand-harvested fruit is fermented in stainless steel with carefully managed extraction to emphasize perfume and finesse, followed by élevage in large, neutral oak casks that soften the tannins without imparting noticeable wood flavor. The result is a wine that feels transparent to its origins: pure red fruit, savory herbal complexity, and crystalline Alpine minerality shine through unmasked, reflecting a philosophy of restraint that has become the hallmark of this benchmark Valle d’Aosta estate.

Transparent medium ruby in the glass with brilliant clarity, the 2025 Grosjean Cornalin “Vigne Rovettaz” immediately announces itself with soaring aromas of sour cherry, wild raspberry, dried rose petals, Alpine herbs, white pepper, and crushed stone. On the palate it is light- to medium-bodied yet remarkably intense, gliding effortlessly with a silken texture, mouthwatering acidity, and fine, tea-like tannins that frame flavors of tart red berries, pomegranate, blood orange zest, and savory mountain botanicals. The finish is exceptionally long and mineral, echoing with dried flowers, granite, herbs, and subtle spice long after the fruit fades. For the most expressive experience, serve at 62°F in a large Burgundy bowl or generous universal stem, where its haunting perfume and graceful Alpine character can fully unfold. This bottle is delicious tonight with a short decant, yet it has the balance to evolve beautifully over the next 6–10 years, so don’t hesitate to hide a few bottles in the coolest corner of your cellar!