ARTISAN EUROPEAN WINE SPECIALISTS,
DELIVERING AUSTRALIA.

From Nebbiolo in Barolo, Valtellina & Alto Piemonte to Grenache in Rioja,
Languedoc & Roussillon — unique bottles from the finest small growers across Italy, Spain and France.

Danilo Thomain makes one wine. He has two hectares of vines. And he is the only independent producer in one of the most extraordinary wine appellations in Italy.

Enfer d'Arvier — the Hell of Arvier — is a miniscule DOC of just seven hectares in the Valle d'Aosta, shared between Danilo and the local cooperative. It is a brutally steep, unforgiving amphitheatre of rocky terraces rising from the Dora Baltea river at 680 metres to an elevation of 800 metres. The bowl-shaped site faces directly south, concentrating the sun's heat so intensely during the day that summer temperatures regularly soar — earning the appellation its dramatic name. Then the night comes, the mountain cold descends, and the temperature plummets. That tug-of-war between heat and cold, between luscious fruit and rapier-like acidity, is the entire story of this wine.

Danilo now has two hectares in production — the original vines, some reaching 95 years of age, plus a second hectare he cleared and planted himself by reclaiming ancient terraces that had lain abandoned for decades. Viticultural records at this site date back to the 13th century. Every grape is hand harvested and transported to Danilo's house, where the wine undergoes spontaneous fermentation deep in his cold rock cellar before ageing in stainless steel. A few hundred cases are produced each year.

The wine itself is singular: simultaneously alpine fresh and lusciously fruited, pouring a deep black-red. Whispers of Pinot Noir and Gamay are interwoven with the darkly elegant Petit Rouge, producing a wine that is at once plush and racy, concentrated and cooling. It vibrates with energy. A 2008, recently consumed, attested to its capacity to age nicely.

From 2023, Danilo's son Amedeo has joined the project — his name now appears on the label alongside his father's. The project is safe. Quantities are severely limited. Register your interest.

Delivered Australia-wide. 15% off any dozen.