Società Agricola Grosjean Vins s.s

The story

A fair, then a farm

The Grosjean family originally kept cattle in Valgrisenche, high in the Valle d'Aosta, growing grapes and chestnuts on lower slopes to supply themselves through the alpine winters. The wine was not for sale. In the late 1960s, Dauphin Grosjean brought his family's wine to a regional exhibition. The producer records the year as 1968; other accounts give 1969. The reception was encouraging enough to redirect his plans. Dauphin developed the Creton parcels in Quart as a commercial vineyard and over the following years drew each of his five sons into the operation. A bottle shown at a valley fair became the founding act of a three-generation winemaking estate.

Rovettaz restored

During the 1980s and 1990s, the Grosjean family turned their attention to Vigna Rovettaz, a site they describe as a historic cru that had been left uncultivated for centuries. Restoring a long-abandoned alpine vineyard required clearing, replanting and re-establishing the terrace work needed to farm steep mountain slopes. The parcel is now one of the named sites in the estate's portfolio, alongside Creton, Tzeriat, Touren and others across Quart and Saint Christophe. The restoration brought one of the valley's older vine sites back into production under the same family that had been farming the surrounding land for decades.

From the atlas

Grosjean Frères

A family estate in the Valle d'Aosta hamlet of Ollignan farming seven hectares of indigenous varieties across named parcels in Quart and Saint Christophe, with organic certification earned since 2011.

At A Glance

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

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.

Story

Dauphin Grosjean brought the family into commercial winemaking after presenting his household wine at a Valle d'Aosta exhibition in the late 1960s. The producer places the event in 1968; Vino-Bio and Rosenthal give 1969. Whatever the precise year, the exhibition unlocked the entrepreneurial direction. Dauphin then drew his five sons into the business: Vincent, Giorgio, Marco, Fernando and Eraldo each took on distinct roles in the vineyards or winery. In the 1980s and 1990s, the family restored Vigna Rovettaz, a historic site they describe as having been neglected for centuries. A new winery was built in 2000 to handle larger harvests and to welcome visitors for tastings. After that expansion, the estate began exporting to American and Japanese markets. In 2018 the third generation, Hervé, Didier, Simon and Marco, took over the estate.

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

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.

In The Glass

Torrette opens with aromas of forest fruits, blackberry and blueberry, and follows through with soft tannins and a lively crispness that is characteristic of high-altitude Petit Rouge. The stainless-steel ageing keeps the wine fresh and direct, without the weight that oak would introduce at these elevations. Montmary Rosé is dry and mineral-driven, with creamy, decisive effervescence and a light texture on the palate. The blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Nero contributes brightness and red-fruit character, and the 15 to 18 months on lees build a layer of savouriness that the acidity and salinity extend through the finish.

A Bottle To Understand It

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.

Anecdote

The Grosjean family did not begin as winemakers. The Rosenthal importer account places the family's origins in Valgrisenche, higher up the valley, where they raised cattle and provisioned the long alpine winters by cultivating grapes and chestnuts on lower slopes during summer months. The wine was for the household. What changed was an exhibition. In the late 1960s, Dauphin Grosjean brought his family's wine to a Valle d'Aosta show. The reception was positive enough to shift his thinking about what the land could provide. He began developing the inherited Creton parcels in Quart as a commercial vineyard, and over the following years drew each of his five sons into roles in the field or winery. A household bottle shown at a regional fair set the direction for three generations.

Final Word

Grosjean Frères is a seven-hectare estate in Ollignan farming Valle d'Aosta's indigenous varieties, organic since the 1970s in practice and certified since 2011, with a range anchored by Petit Rouge in Torrette and a traditional-method sparkling wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Nero.

Sources

• https://grosjeanvins.it/en/
• https://grosjeanvins.it/en/about-us/our-story-and-our-vision/
• https://www.vino-bio.com/en/grosjean/
• https://rosenthalwinemerchant.com/growers/grosjean-freres/
• https://grosjeanvins.it/en/products/torrette-vallee-daoste-doc/
• https://grosjeanvins.it/en/products/montmary-rose-metodo-classico-extra-brut/
• https://www.cucinaevini.it/sparkle/montmary-rose-extra-brut-6/