Over the last few years, I've fallen in love with a short but growing list of gorgeous, hand-crafted Italian Pinot Noirs. It's not a coincidence that my favorite examples tend to originate from the far northwest region of Valle d’Aosta.
Pinot Noir excels in cooler climates, and the Valle d’Aosta fits that bill perfectly, with vineyards scaling the slopes of the iconic peaks of the western Alps—Mont Blanc, The Matterhorn, Gran Paradiso, and Monte Rosa. Still, today’s 2016 “Grandgosier,” from one of my favorite micro-producers, is more than just a great “Italian” or “Alpine” Pinot Noir. This is a remarkably serious, one-of-a-kind wine. Its seductive aromatics and complex layers recall Chambolle-Musigny that has been further invigorated by Aosta's rushing glacial streams and cool alpine breezes. SommSelect has featured previous vintages of of this rare beauty, but there's something extra special about this 2016. Nadir Cuneaz’ Pinot is always a personal favorite, but in 2016 the fruit is somehow more vivid, the angles more defined, and the aromas more profound. It's a spectacular wine, and—especially in the context of ever-skyrocketing red Burgundy prices—an impressive value. Given how tiny and remote Cuneaz' farmstead property is, I’m always amazed we can acquire enough to offer subscribers. But we do, and it never fails to provide one of the more evocative Pinot Noir experiences we share. The only caveat here is limited availability (there are less than 30 cases in the US) so if you're interested, I'd urge you to move on it before it disappears!
[**NOTE: This wine is only available as a pre-offer and will be shipping from our warehouse Monday, February 4th.]
When you encounter wines from the Valle d’Aosta (Vallée d’Aoste in french), you’re experiencing a (viti)cultural convergence of French, Italian, and Swiss wine traditions. French (and a local patois that skews heavily French) is the main language here, and as such the labels on bottles can get confusing—typically you’ll see both Italian and French used simultaneously, much as it is on street signs, etc. in the region. The vineyards, some of which are among the highest elevation sites in Europe, occupy terraces and slopes along the Dora Baltea River, which eventually runs down into neighboring Piedmont, where it hooks up with the Pò. The Cuneaz family winery is headquartered in the Aosta Valley subzone of Torrette, in the village of Gressan, where vineyards often climb to 800+ meters, in rocky, sandy soils of ‘alluvial’ (i.e. river-borne) origin. Although there’s ample water in the form of mountain runoff (surging through Roman-era aqueducts that criss-cross the valley), Mont Blanc provides a “rain shadow” effect not unlike the one Alsace sees from its nearby Vosges range. Summers up here are drier and warmer than you might expect, although the diurnal swings—daytime heat spikes followed by cool nights—are extreme, which Pinot Noir loves.
Nadir Cuneaz and family are garagistes in the truest sense, although their minuscule winemaking operation is not in a garage, technically, but in a room in their family home. Their vineyard holdings total about one acre, putting Nadir squarely in the “gardener” category; all in, they produce case quantities only in the hundreds, of which a small fraction make it to the US. The “Grandgosier” Pinot Noir is sourced from old-vine parcels in the hillside villages of Gressan, Jovencan, and Chambave. These sites, like all the best Valle d’Aosta vineyards, have a nearly full-south orientation—as in Lombardy’s Valtellina, the valley here has an east-west orientation, meaning the north bank of the Dora Baltea offers the best, all-day sun exposure. The cool climate and wide daily temperature shifts allow for the slow maturation of the early-ripening Pinot Noir, which, as Pinot aficionados know well, has seductive results: The wine is medium to light in body and quite floral, but rather than lean and insignificant it is very obviously physiologically mature and highly complex. This is the appeal of the best Alpine reds, regardless of variety: high impact and virtual weightlessness exist in tandem. It’s pretty amazing.
In the glass, the 2016 Grandgosier displays a light ruby color with a hint of pink on the rim. The nose is driven by rose petals, wild herbs, wild raspberry, black cherry, pomegranate and a hint of exotic dry spice. The palate has a layered texture with up front fruit flavors of Bing cherry, raspberry coulis, red plums and pomegranate with lightly gripping tannins that are both polished and elegant akin to a young Chambolle. This is delicious Pinot Noir that will drink well for the next 5-10 years, most likely peaking about 2020. I enjoy drinking alpine reds a little cooler, so I rest them in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving, roughly cellar temp, about 55F. This is as much an effort to accentuate the wine's’ freshness as it is my attempt to recreate my fond memories of drinking these extraordinarily rare wines high up in the Alps. Otherwise, this bottle requires no extra preparation or decanting before serving out of a large Burgundy stem—it is giving and delicious immediately after the cork is pulled. The food pairing options, meanwhile, are virtually endless, with both seafood and meat very much in play. Given the wine’s regional origins and the images of slopeside dining it conjures, check it out with the attached fondue preparation and prepare to be transported to the Alps. It’s the next best thing to being there.
