Nadir Cuneaz Les Gosses Vallée d'Aoste 2021

Nadir Cuneaz is not a grandiose winery, but a family-spun endeavor in the hills above Gressan in Valle d’Aosta. Their “Les Grosses” takes a blend of three local varieties for a fresh and fragrant red wine that’s all at once breezy, bright, and entirely too easy to sip, like a Beaujolais with a kick of spice. Under $20 for such an adventurous lip-smacker feels mischievous in all the right ways…

The majority of Nadir Cuneaz’s bottlings carry the names of local monsters, except this one. "Les Gosses" derives from a French term for "little children," which can be monsters in their own right, and Nadir has three. The domestic joke extends to the blend – three indigenous varieties that can be found almost nowhere else in the world: 60% Vien de Nus, 25% Petit Rouge, and 15% Vuillermin (the parent grape of Fumin). 

Coming from one of Italy’s most obscure and smallest wine appellations, Nadir Cuneaz is so quaint that the cellar is just a room in the family house. This is small-batch, thoughtful winemaking, through and through, and the fruit comes entirely from south-facing vineyards known as "Bedeun" in Chambave and "Creta Platta," steep sites that soak up sun through short mountain growing seasons. The wine is made entirely in steel, keeping the focus squarely on fruit and place rather than oak.

In the glass, it’s all bright, sappy fruit, like juicy black cherries and crunchy plums picked right from the orchard trees, with this cooling, granite-like undertow and electric acidity. Alpine herbs, white pepper, and rocky minerality add intrigue, but the generous red fruits are really the star of this show. Would be a great contender for a slightly chilled red, and a beyond perfect match for charcuterie, simple cheese plates, or just by itself. Just a stunning and exciting show of the Italian Alps in all of its mountainous, high-elevation glory, and a real clear-cut choice at merely $19.95! Add 6 bottles or more to your cart and get shipping thrown in, too.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Charcuterie, cheeses, olives, and something crunchy or crusty – and you are all set!