Danilo Thomain is the only independent vigneron working in Hell. Well, not strictly "Hell," but a tiny Valle d’Aosta vineyard charmingly named Enfer d’Arvier, French for "The Hell of Arvier."

There’s nothing devilish about the wine, though. In fact, it’s one of our favorite off-the-beaten path Italian reds, full of the particular charms of this Alpine region: silky texture, ripe brambly-berry fruit, racy acidity, and a cooling mountain herbaceousness. Comprised of 90% Petit Rouge (an obscure grape indigenous to the Valle d’Aosta) and 10% blended Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Gamaret (a rare Gamay hybrid), it’s at turns plush and sappy, and sleek and racy.

That delicious balance is the product of the "hellish" site, a steep amphitheater of terraced vines high up in the Italian Alps that catches all the daytime sun -- getting hot enough to earn its name before evening comes and the temperature plummets. The hot days give us delicious fruit and the cold nights preserve beautiful aromatics and all the freshness you could want.

Danilo only has one hectare of vines and makes a few hundred cases of their wine each year, so we’re always quick to snap them up. We used to be able to keep it on the shelf all year round, but as more and more adventurous wine lovers discover this rare gem, we're finding it harder to get enough. But we received our allocation of the 2021 and are thrilled have enough to share with you here.

Red fruit (tart cherry, plum, raspberry) and a combination of fresh and dried herbs come out to play alongside a fresh and acid-driven structure. Some fine-grained tannins round out the palate.

Danilo Thomain, Valle d'Aosta Enfer d'Arvier, 2021 $41.99
Red fruited with tart cherry, raspberry and some plum, but delineated by herbal qualities and gentle tannins, this is a perfect wine for summer barbecues (the savory earthiness is the perfect foil for anything charred) or takeout pizza. But the secret is, if you stash a bottle or two away for cooler weather, you’ll be rewarded: its concentrated palate and high acid also make it an age-worthy addition to your Reasonable Cellar.