Torrette from Franco Noussan in Valle D'Aosta

Franco Noussan Profile

Quick Facts

Name of Estate	Franco Noussan
Region	Valle D’Aosta
Country	Italy
Proprietor	Franco Noussan
Size	1.5 hectares
Farming	Organic (Not Certified)
Soils	Alluvial sands and clay
Grapes grown	Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Vien de Nus, Mayolet, Cornalin, Fumin, Petit Rouge
Fun facts	Franco's local dialect is much closer to French than Italian.

Franco's local dialect is much closer to French than Italian.

Name of Estate	Franco Noussan
Region	Valle D’Aosta
Country	Italy
Proprietor	Franco Noussan
Size	1.5 hectares
Farming	Organic (Not Certified)
Soils	Alluvial sands and clay
Grapes grown	Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Vien de Nus, Mayolet, Cornalin, Fumin, Petit Rouge
Fun facts	Franco's local dialect is much closer to French than Italian.

Get to know
Franco Noussan

producer profile 01.07.2019

Franco Noussan Producer Profile

Franco Noussan is a “<glossary title="481">garagiste</glossary>” in <glossary title="981">St Christophe</glossary>, a small village in the hills above the town of <glossary title="109">Aosta</glossary>. His <glossary title="251">cave</glossary> is dug into the hillside and is literally an extension of his garage. He is a professor at the local university in <glossary title="109">Aosta</glossary> and when not teaching, he likes to work in the vineyards and make wine and <glossary title="411">eaux-de-vie</glossary>. The grapes are from small family <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary> in different areas near <glossary title="981">St-Christophe</glossary>. In 1999, his family acquired vineyards from his wife Gabriella’s side. They were all <glossary title="740">old vines</glossary>, the majority over 70 years old, planted in <glossary title="781">Petit Rouge</glossary>, <glossary title="644">Mayolet</glossary>, <glossary title="473">Fumin</glossary> and <glossary title="803">Pinot Gris</glossary>. The vines are all over 40 years and the majority much older. In 2003 he also began renting some vineyards and now has about 5.5 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of surface. The vineyards are worked without <glossary title="526">herbicides</glossary> and are <glossary title="810">plowed</glossary>. The <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> are kept small. He started making wine just for the family's and friends’ consumption, but then began <glossary title="185">bottling</glossary> and selling the wine in 2005 under his own name. The grapes are <glossary title="520">harvested by hand</glossary>, the <glossary title="441">fermentations</glossary> are with <glossary title="538">indigenous yeast</glossary> in <glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary> <glossary title="1140">tanks</glossary>, <glossary title="827">pressed</glossary> using a <glossary title="1200">hand press</glossary>, then the wine is <glossary title="74">aged</glossary> in smaller <glossary title="731">oak</glossary> <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary> from a year to 14 months. The wines are <glossary title="185">bottled</glossary> <glossary title="447">unfiltered</glossary>. All of this done in Franco’s garage /<glossary title="251">cave</glossary>. The <glossary title="1034">Torrette</glossary> is <glossary title="781">Petit Rouge</glossary> over 70% and the rest is <glossary title="644">Mayolet</glossary>, <glossary title="338">Cornalin</glossary> and <glossary title="1088">Vien de Nus</glossary>.

producer visit 12.08.2019

This visit with Franco Noussan took place in May 2014

This visit with Franco Noussan took place in May 2014. Words by Jules Dressner. Photos by Jill Berheimer, Josefa Concannon and David Norris. <glossary title="111">Vallée d'Aoste</glossary>. Holy shit. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//b2/15/b215f04cde4378991f19aa69612cff08.jpg" /> In all of my years of visiting <glossary title="1103">viticultural</glossary> regions, <glossary title="110">Aoste</glossary> just might be the most visually remarkable. You can't take a picture here without it looking majestic! Proof's in the pudding: the picture above, is the view from Franco Noussan's front yard.  Speaking of Franco, he lives in the <glossary title="322">commune</glossary> of Maillod, which itself is part of the town of <glossary title="981">Saint Christophe</glossary>. If all these names sound kind of French to you, that's because they are: <glossary title="110">Aoste</glossary> used to be part of the <glossary title="925">Royaume de Savoie</glossary>, and only became part of Italy in the aftermath of World War 1. In such, Franco speaks a local dialect called Patois with his wife and daughters, but is fluent in French and Italian.  "We are not French, we are not Italian. We are people of the <glossary title="94">Alps</glossary>."  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//58/25/582546211dfbf351075001dbe201c4a6.jpg" /> Though vines have been planted in <glossary title="110">Aoste</glossary> since Roman times, the idea of <glossary title="1026">terroir</glossary> driven <glossary title="1103">viticulture</glossary> is a recent one, only dating back to the 1970's. This is because more traditional, rural ways of living were abandoned and forgotten during the Industrial Revolution.  As locals began working in the metal industry to build railroads, <glossary title="110">Aoste</glossary> wine became for family consumption, while the more established <glossary title="1103">viticultural</glossary> region of <glossary term="Piemonte" title="793">Piemonte</glossary> began providing them every day wine.  "Our tiny micro vineyards could not compete with our much more established neighbors in <glossary term="Piemonte" title="793">Piemonte</glossary>." The first vineyard we visited was young <glossary term="Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio" title="803">Pinot Gris</glossary> planted in 2007. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//c3/70/c37048108c0247895c830993945eea05.jpg" /> The vines are planted in very high density and in <glossary title="335">Cordon</glossary> to reduce <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary>.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//97/7b/977b97e07d35bce65284799206dc1dbf.jpg" /> The <glossary title="419">elevation</glossary> here is 1300m! As we walked through the vines, Franco started breaking down some of his <glossary title="1103">viticultural</glossary> practices. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//60/05/6005145d7356892fc8294273c6b2daa8.jpg" /> In a new plantation, he always uses a small amount of <glossary title="526">herbicide</glossary> along the rows for the first three years of their growth. This is because the area has a ton of cereal production, and the grains fly into vineyards because of the wind, then start growing wildly. This creates too much competition for young vines. He also <glossary title="549">irrigates</glossary> the first three years, because <glossary title="110">Aoste</glossary> only gets 500ml of annual rainfall.  "If the young vines don't get water in their infancy, their roots don't dig deep enough into the soil and won't fully express the <glossary title="1026">terroir</glossary>." If the vines are over three years old or acquired at a later stage in their growth, Franco never uses <glossary title="526">herbicides</glossary> or <glossary title="549">irrigation</glossary>. "After this initial step, I work <glossary title="746">organically</glossary>."  Franco's "<glossary title="427">estate</glossary>" consists of 1.5 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines spread over 13 <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary> in three  <glossary title="322">communes</glossary>. Seven different grapes are grown: <glossary title="">Pinot Noir</glossary>, <glossary title="803">Pinot Gris</glossary>, <glossary title="1088">Vien de Nus</glossary>, <glossary title="644">Mayolet</glossary>, <glossary title="338">Cornalin</glossary>, <glossary title="">Fumin</glossary> and <glossary title="781">Petit Rouge</glossary>. He rents all of his <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary>, but has fixed them up himself.  "Everything is small production here. You can't make a "commercial" wine in the sense of volume; the numbers just aren't there. The best you can do is produce a great wine of <glossary title="1026">terroir</glossary> that expresses its place." Most of the people who currently live in Franco's <glossary title="322">commune</glossary> are residential habitants who work in the nearby city of <glossary title="110">Aoste</glossary>. Almost no agriculturalists are left.  The next <glossary title="1133">plot</glossary> we visited was some 20 year old <glossary title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary>. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//ed/3c/ed3cc70e2a060f6c6be3f177e4182579.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//7b/77/7b771fc6bc9037ab0bd35002573f2ec9.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//bb/ef/bbefc00a529620e15e933ee0dd57824d.jpg" /> A tiny part of this <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> is a 90 year old <glossary title="446">field blend</glossary>. Though he likes the current results, Franco believes it will take at least 20 more years before these vines produce "really great" grapes. Driving to Franco's main site, we passed a 12 year old, very low <glossary title="1129">yielding</glossary> vineyard composed of 70% <glossary title="781">Petit Rouge</glossary>, 30% <glossary title="473">Fumin</glossary>. Our final stop was Franco's main vineyard site, where six of his 13 <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary> co-exist amongst his neighbors' vines. It is one of the most stunning vineyards I've ever seen.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//69/c5/69c576eb43ffcbd72e4b04ca5b078da8.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//6e/de/6ede416a2e0fcbca84ad6cee88768d31.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//66/7d/667d689665241c89632dca232e850920.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//0a/b5/0ab5cb3f2a5830cd77aaa5e18763156b.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//33/e0/33e03d5c220d91155d37448e5eabc86c.jpg" /> The vines that produces Franco's <glossary title="1034">Torrette</glossary> are located here, and stand tall at a whopping 710m <glossary term="Elevation" title="419">elevation</glossary>. The soils consist of <glossary title="909">sand</glossary>, and it was abandoned before Franco gave it new life.  The highest <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> here 800m <glossary title="419">elevation</glossary> planted in <glossary title="803">Pinot Gris</glossary>. In the same area, there is some very old <glossary title="781">Petit Rouge</glossary>. "I'm not sure how old these vines are, but they are definitely older than me." Unlike the earlier <glossary title="760">parcels</glossary> we visited, which were trained in <glossary title="518">Guyot</glossary>, the much older vines here are trained in <glossary title="497">gobelet</glossary>.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//54/dc/54dc4403c1e41d12067e14f9da838ab7.jpg" /> The soils in this particular section are very light <glossary title="301">clay</glossary> that breaks up like <glossary title="909">sand</glossary>.  The sun was beginning to set, so we decided to head back to Franco's house to visit the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>. Unsurprisingly, it is tiny. So small in fact that Franco is forced to <glossary title="1104">vinify</glossary> all of his wines at different times. The wines <glossary title="441">ferment</glossary> off of their <glossary title="538">native yeasts</glossary> for 12 days. Along with some incredible local charcuterie and cheese, we tried a bunch of wine. Each bottle features the date of <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> on the <glossary term="Wine Label" title="573">label</glossary>, and looking at the <glossary term="Lot Number" title="1355">lot number</glossary> is the only way to identify the <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> since it is not listed. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//74/2a/742aa1f52b6a0aaa7d34ba7f523a4d9b.jpg" /> <glossary title="163"></glossary> "Blanc de Tzanté": means "little hill" and is all <glossary title="803">Pinot Gris</glossary>. We tried 2012 and 2013, and both had a lot of Alpine Charm™. I'm trademarking that because it sounds like the name for a Febreze or Old Spice odor, and you never know with these multi-national corporations! I need to keep my creative endeavors safe! <glossary title="">Torrette</glossary> 2012 had a dark <glossary title="">nose</glossary>, with a smoky, Mountain Freshness™ and herbaceous character. The <glossary title="168">blend</glossary> always consists of 70% <glossary title="781">Petit Rouge</glossary>, but the rest varies <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> to <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary>.  The 2011 <glossary title="1034">Torrette</glossary> had a fruitier <glossary title="723">nose</glossary> which also marked the <glossary title="756">palate</glossary>. It was the fresher of the 12. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//22/42/2242e180ae0387e15382a27d3ebe3b43.jpg" /> <glossary title="363"></glossary> "Cuvée de la Cote" is a <glossary term="Blend" title="168">blend</glossary> of all his red grapes, all <glossary title="308">co-fermented</glossary>. Both 2012 and 2011 were super <glossary title="495">glugable</glossary>, easy drinking wines.  "You have to want to drink the wine. If finishing a glass seems like a burden, you haven't done your job correctly."  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//12/b1/12b1dae32e37a211cbf8cdf47ef27b6c.jpg" /> The tasting ended with a 2011 <glossary title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary> that was my favorite of the night.

harvest report 22.12.2019

Photos from Franco Noussan's 2019 Harvest

harvest report 16.09.2015

2015 Harvest Report Pictures from Franco Noussan

harvest report 10.10.2010

2010 Harvest Report from Franco Noussan

The spring arrived a little late because the cold. We had the first <glossary title="1179">flowering</glossary> around the 3rd of June with several rainstorms the consequence of which was some <glossary term="Coulure" title="1252">coulure</glossary> of the <glossary title="1138">bunches</glossary>, especially for the <glossary title="803">pinot gris</glossary>. Then the weather got better with a good set for the later <glossary title="1179">flowering</glossary> vines like <glossary title="781">petit rouge</glossary>. July was very hot which made up in part for the late spring again specially for the more precocious <glossary title="805">pinot noir</glossary>, but around the end of the month, beginning of August <glossary title="737">odium</glossary> arrived, but I managed to control it well with powdered <glossary title="993">sulfur</glossary>. Finally, September arrived with ideal temperatures for our vines (hot days and cool nights) helping the grapes acquire sugar and, above all, the <glossary title="120">aromas</glossary> characteristic of our mountain wines. The 16th of September we began the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> with <glossary title="803">Pinot Gris</glossary> for the "Blanc de Tzanté" <glossary title="363">cuvée</glossary>. It was very good quality (14° alcohol, 8 gms total <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary>) but limited quantitatively. September 18th we moved on to the <glossary title="805">pinot noir</glossary> (13° alcohol, 8 gms total <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary>) which was in optimal condition. Lastly, the first days of October we <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> the "Cuve dela Cote" (13° alcohol, 7.8 gms total <glossary title="71">acidity</glossary>) (NT: a <glossary title="446">field blend</glossary> of very <glossary title="740">old vines</glossary> of local heritage – <glossary term="Mayolet" title="644">mayolet</glossary>, <glossary term="Cornalin" title="338">cornalin</glossary>, <glossary term="Vien de Nus" title="1088">vien de nus</glossary>, etc) also in optimal ripeness but especially good perfume and color. We will wait until mid-October to <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> the <glossary title="1034">Torrette</glossary> (<glossary title="781">petit rouge</glossary>, et al.)

harvest report 24.10.2006

2006 Harvest Report from Franco Noussan

Only until now could you say it is good. The 23rd Spetember we started with <glossary title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary> and the <glossary title="803">Pinot Gris</glossary>. The grapes were beautiful and healthy perhaps with a little less alcohol than in 2005 because we waited an extra 10 days after a rainfall. In fact, the weather was ugly until the end of the month. Now it is beautiful and sunny, hot days still and cold nights which benefit the <glossary title="324">concentration</glossary> of sugars and of aromas. Otherwise, we are waiting to pick the <glossary title="1034">Torrette</glossary> grapes, which probably will be Saturday the 14th.Next time I will send you some pictures and an account with more details and the exact data. I wanted to tell you a little bit more about the 2006 <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary>. We had a cold spring with some late <glossary title="1135">frost</glossary> then a very hot July in which the vines sped up to normal <glossary title="639">maturity</glossary> and truly seemed to be in the same condition as 2003 (note: 2003 was an unusually hot season in most of Europe), but then in August came the cold again with little precipitation that stopped the quick <glossary title="639">maturation</glossary>. Finally in September in which it was warm, dry and sunny we had some scattered rain, the consequence of which some vines had to wait to be <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> in order not to compromise the <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary>. I finished the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> on the 21st of October with the <glossary title="1034">Torrete</glossary>. I am pretty happy. In terms of quantity it is comparable to 2005 with wines of slightly less alcohol than the previous year, but in my opinion more balanced with a more floral <glossary title="120">aroma</glossary>. I will let you know soon when the analyses are done. Here are some pictures of the grapes and the <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary>….

producer profile 01.07.2019

Franco Noussan Producer Profile

producer visit 12.08.2019

This visit with Franco Noussan took place in May 2014

harvest report 22.12.2019

Photos from Franco Noussan's 2019 Harvest

harvest report 16.09.2015

2015 Harvest Report Pictures from Franco Noussan

harvest report 10.10.2010

2010 Harvest Report from Franco Noussan

harvest report 24.10.2006

2006 Harvest Report from Franco Noussan

Franco Noussan’s wines

Franco Noussan

Vin Blanc "Blanc du Tzanté"

Franco Noussan

Vallée d'Aoste Petite Arvine

Franco Noussan

Vallée d'Aoste Fumin

Franco Noussan

Vallée d'Aoste Pinot Noir

Franco Noussan

Torrette

Franco Noussan

Torrette Superieur