Imagine a wine so bold that it deserves, ideally, excommunication. It seems like an exaggeration, but it is the true and fascinating story behind the label of this Chardonnay ‘Canto X’ by Ottin. The name was not chosen at random, but to pay homage to the tenth wine produced by the winery and, above all, to the “pena de li eretici” (punishment of heretics) in Canto X of Dante's Inferno. The reason? The land from which these grapes come was acquired at a bargain price, it is true, but at the very high social cost of excommunication, at the time of the confiscation of ecclesiastical property by the Kingdom of Italy. This historical anecdote immediately gives an idea of a wine that is out of the ordinary, born in a place where viticulture is always a gamble against nature. We are in the Aosta Valley, specifically in the hamlet of Porossan Neyves, just above Aosta. Here, viticulture is not just agriculture, it is heroic agriculture. The vineyards hang on the slopes of the mountains, kissed by intense sunshine during the day but immediately cooled by the night breezes and altitude. This remarkable temperature range is a real boon for white grapes: it keeps the aromas fresh and vibrant and gives the fruit an irreplaceable acidic edge. A unique terroir, where great international grape varieties, such as Chardonnay, are transformed into something totally alpine and distinctive. The idea of focusing on this grape variety was born from the boundless passion of winemakers Elio and Nicolas Ottin, driven by the desire to interpret the world's most famous grape variety with the distinctive imprint of their mountain. Each bunch is harvested by hand in early September and taken to the winery for soft pressing of whole bunches. Fermentation, induced by selected yeasts, lasts for about ten days in French oak tonneaux. But the detail that makes the difference is the maturation: the wine rests for a whole year on the fine lees in the same tonneaux, also undergoing malolactic fermentation. This long ageing process gives it depth, structure and complexity, preparing it for a long life in the bottle. Bright yellow with brilliant golden reflections, the nose is intriguingly complex and decidedly refreshing. It is a whirlwind of ripe tropical fruit that blends elegantly with citrus notes of bergamot. Immediately afterwards come the more subtle, alpine hints: herbaceous notes of thyme, the sharp minerality of flint and a delicate, almost whispered hint of mountain butter due to the ageing in wood and malolactic fermentation. On the palate, Canto X impresses with its magnificent freshness and a surprising salty kick. An extremely taut and persistent wine, almost vertical, it has a finish that will make you want another sip. For pairings, it requires dishes that can stand up to its acidity. Excellent with a simple salmon trout in butter and sage sauce or medium-aged cheeses from the Aosta Valley.