Vinous

• By Ian D'Agata
  March 2010 (link)

  (Les Cretes Fumin Vigne La Tour Valle d'Aosta) Subscribe to see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  4/27/2011 (link)

  (LES CRETES Fumin) Aosta Dear Friends, First of all, thank you for keeping your eyes open to something new – the Les Cretes white wine offer we sent out a few weeks ago received an enormous response and it’s gratifying that so many of you are keen to experience something new. With many of the order inquires came a request for the Les Cretes red wines, so here you go... Due to limited quantities, I will simply list the wines but I recommend you go back and read my original review for the 2005 Fumin (re-printed below) – it gives a look at winery philosophy and overall style of the red wines that still pertains to the two releases we have today - the new vintage of Fumin, 2007, and a library offer of the Syrah (2004 Vigna La Tour). This parcel has impeccable provenance directly from the source: 2007 Les Cretes “Fumin” (Vigne la Tour) Valle d’Aosta DOC - (this vintage is particularly difficult to procure – I have not seen any in the US) For community notes on other vintages of the Fumin (no 2007 notes available): http://bit.ly/jABtSC 2004 Les Cretes “Coteau la Tour” (Syrah) - For community notes on the 2004 Syrah: http://bit.ly/iPtN4H Both are VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for mountain expression of nuance and terroir (alcohol of 12.5-13.5% for both wines – I list them with such a broad range because I believe both are listed at 12.5% but, as we saw in yesterday’s SF Chronicle article, that doesn't mean a whole lot – neither gives the impression of alcohol above 13.0%) FIRST COME FIRST SERVED up to 12 x each wine until we run out To order either of the above: nicki@garagistewine.com All are set to arrive in a few weeks (check OARS for local pick-up after May 20th) – if weather cooperates, both will ship this spring (otherwise, we will hold the wine for free under ideal conditons until Fall). Thank you - - Jon Rimmerman ***************** (here is a Les Cretes offer from a year or two ago – it gives background on the winery and the Fumin; the 2005 is sold out, the winery has asked us to XXXX any mention of price in this offer): Fumin Dear Friends, Rarely do I come across a wine that so reeks of its place (in a good way), it could only be from a specific grower and site place. Frank Cornelissen, Bressan and a few others come to mind and this belongs in that group. If you are interested in terroir and are a fan of the Northern Rhone, Les Crete’s Fumin should be inserted as a blind wine in your next tasting. In a lineup of artisinal St. Joseph or Cote Rotie, something tells me this “unrelated-but-still-related” varietal from Italy’s pristine Valle d’Aosta will fare very well indeed. Specific to this mountainous neck of the woods (tucked between Switzerland, France and Piedmont), the aromatic Fumin grape resembles Syrah in its carnal leaning but it retains a gritty set of wheels that more closely align with Clos Saint-Jacques in a vintage like 2005. If you are a wine geek, the fact that Fumin is about as unheralded as it gets in the US is a positive. It insures the tiny amount produced in the Valle d’Aosta will not be cloned, genetically modified and show up as a Costco case-stack deal next month. While I’m just as happy as the next person to shop in bulk for dried pasta or paper towels, there are some things in life I’d like to keep sacred and Fumin is one of them. We’ve profiled several wines in the past from Les Cretes and all are worthy of your attention. The only irritation with this small winery perched in arguably Europe’s most beautiful setting (see here: http://www.lescretes.it/index.asp ) is their pricing – among the highest in Italy. I realize the difficulty in producing their wine, as in Cote Rotie or Priorat, with very steep, even treacherous terraces that must be farmed manually but it’s still difficult for me to justify $XXXX for their wares when that is treading on single-vineyard Cote Rotie territory. I recognize this is a distinct place and winery (this is not Cote Rotie) and their wine should stand on its own (it does) but $XXXX gets me a lot more excited than $XXXX, what the 2005 was supposed to cost before I threw a well-intentioned tantrum. At $XXXX this is now a wine I can recommend to everyone as a study in varietal heritage, fastidious natural farming and (of equal importance) not stripping a wine of its soul by softening its indigenous country aspect. Antonio Galloni makes reference to this below but I find this wild/rangy essence to be at the very core of what makes this wine special. With half its character in St. Joseph and the other half split between Burgundy and the Italian Alps, Les Crete’s Fumin is not your everyday example: As I’ve said in the past, a holiday in the Valle d’Aosta will not be forgotten – if you are looking for an interesting destination for your next episode of wanderlust, I urge you to seek this small corner of Italy that still feels like part of the Kingdom of Upper Burgundy. In this tiny region, you are just as likely to hear the local Valdotain language as you are Italian and the food reflects the clean air and freshness of the mountainous landscape. Please note, this wine is not the Torrette, Petit Rouge, Pinot Noir or Coteau la Tour (although it can be referenced as “Valle d’Aosta Vigne la Tour”). In addition, this wine is not made from Petit Rouge. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as something unique, complex and specific to a single region. This parcel has impeccable provenance – only a few hundred cases are exported for the world: 2005 Les Cretes “Fumin” (Vigne la Tour) Valle d’Aosta DOC - SOLD OUT (compare at $XXXX+ in the US, this is not the Coteau la Tour) Italy7484 Italy7485