Château Feuillet, Valle d’Aosta (Aosta, Italy) Petite Arvine 2017

 Jan Novak, the wine director at Il Capriccio, a wonderful Italian restaurant in Waltham, just west of Boston, suggested this wine, which was unknown to me.  Since she has probably forgotten more about Italian wine than I know, I agreed immediately.  And was very glad.  It was not some innocuous white wine.  Rather, it conveyed depth, a saline-like mineral quality, all amplified by its bright finish.  It turns out that Petite Arvine, is a rare grape, planted mostly in the Valais part of Switzerland.  A smattering of vines found their way to Italy’s Aosta Valley.  Leave it to Kermit Lynch to find it and bring it to these shores. If you run across it, don’t hesitate.