Danilo Thomain Enfer d'Arvier 2021

Home of the second-highest winegrowing zone in the valley, the the Enfer d’Arvier is a splendorous amphitheater of steeply terraced vines overlooking the Dora Baltea/Doire Baltée river below. Covering a scant 5 ha, the majority of the Enfer d’Arvier’s output is via the local co-op, and with his single hectare in production, Danilo Thomain stands as the zone’s only independent bottler of wine. Amazingly, he is currently clearing and de-foresting another hectare’s worth of hillside above his current holdings in order to expand production, thereby reclaiming some of the long-unused but prime terrain whose viticultural records date back to the 13th century. The huge diurnal shifts between Enfer d’Arvier’s scorching days and chilly nights—“Enfer d’Arvier,” after all, means “The Hell of Arvier”— expresses itself in a palate tug-of-war between rapier-like acidity and thick, luscious fruit that vibrates with energy.