Just northwest of Piemonte, you begin your ascent into the Alpine, bilingual French-Italian region of Valle d’Aosta. Donnas is the the first subregion along the Dora Baltea river and the name of a small, high-quality cooperative made up of 23 hectares and about 20 members. It’s Alpine wine (1300-1700 ft) in the largest game of Shoots and Ladders, cum-Vines-and-Trellising , you’ve even seen. The terraced vineyards are hewn from the granite and quartz mountain sides. It’s Nebbiolo as a Harpsichord (instead of the Barolo as cello) — earthy, spicy wines that make you want to put your hiking boots on and scale a frozen waterfall.