THE LAND IS “HIGH”

Often steep and precipitous, marked by terraces of dry-stone walls

At least in the Aosta Valley, where vineyards rise between 550 and over 900 meters above sea level. The Anselmet family personally manages about 10 hectares of property divided into 64 small and very small plots, on a strip of land of about 35 kilometers, between Avise and Chambave.
 
For me, the vineyard has a monumental and religious character. I go to the vineyard knowing that I am entering a sacred dimension: every good deed has the right reward and every mistake generates irreversible consequences.
Giorgio Anselmet.
The heart of the production are the plots of Villeneuve and Saint Pierre, located on the left of the Dora, called Adret, the best exposed to the sun: here the rows grow on soils poor in organic matter, which compels the vine to go deep and put the maximum effort to reach the full ripeness of the grapes.
 

The Central Valley,
the heart of Aosta Valley viticulture

The vineyards of Maison Anselmet are all located in the so-called Central Valley, a territory of morainic origin, with the characteristic «V» shape given by the progressive disappearance of ancient glaciers that have given way to the waters of the Dora Baltea. Downstream, the soil is pebbly and sandy, while higher up it becomes steep and rocky, forcing Anselmet to a heroic viticulture, made up of handwork and diligent maintenance of the terraces. The star of the Central Valley is the climate, particularly suitable for the vine, which has found its chosen land here since the fifteenth century. Low rainfall, constant ventilation, excellent exposure and significant temperature variations give the wines a superior freshness and elegance, capable of surprising for the persistence and finesse of the aromas. .

Strategic viticulture

Between viticulture and the mountains there is an exclusive, absolute, selective and, in some ways, ferocious bond. Each detail counts: a few meters of altitude can drastically change harvest times, and vegetation, aromas and maturation are strongly influenced by exposure or the passage of hot and cold currents. In the mountains, only the most resistant grapes endure, those that are able to adapt better to the extreme climatic conditions. This is why Maison Anselmet's viticulture is a delicate matter of experimental strategy. Each new plant takes place after a scrupulous “reading” of the land – plot by plot, parcel by parcel – cataloging the pedoclimatic characteristics of each territory to select the type of farming and the vine that will best respond to the severe needs of the mountain microclimate and the inflexibility of its elements.
 

Vineyard craftsmen

In the mountains there are no recipes, viticulture is hard work, observation skills and promptness of action. Maison Anselmet manages each plot in a completely manual manner, chiseling each agronomic process on the real needs of the plants. The goal is to place each row in a condition that will enable it to give its best, reaching the full ripeness of the grapes and the fullest expression of the vine within its pedoclimate. Treatments are reduced to the bare minimum, a condition favored by the uniqueness of the mountain climate, which limits the proliferation of harmful insects and, thanks to draining soils and natural ventilation, counteracts the onset of mold and rot.


FRAZ. VEREYTOD, 31
11018, VILLENEUVE AO
TEL. +39 0165904851
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P.IVA 01022140071

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