This is a totally new Piemonte wine to me. Pinerolo is a town just West/SW of Turin. The wine is grown in the Susa Vlly Vlly to the West of Turin.
Reportedly the longest valley in Italy (by whatever measure that might be). Heading up into the Savoie region of France.
Made from the grapes: Avana/Chatus/Bequet/Avarengo/Barbera. 'Cept for Barbera, a bunch of new ones on me.
Anybody had this wine before or visited that area??
Yes on both counts. The area is pure magic and Coutandin’s wines are definitely worth trying, based on my small sample. Extremely difficult to find, even in Italy. Hard to compare it to anything else, but perhaps a fine, elegant Torrette Superieur (Anselmet?) wouldn’t be wide of the mark.
I have had the 09 Coutandin Ramie a few times and really liked it. Thought it needed a few years in bottle and your post reminded me its time to try again.
The last time I had it in December 2013 I thought it was showing some dark fruits but it was a bit more subdued than the previous bottles.
I had a bottle of the 2010 Anselmet Fumin in January 2015 that did share some of the dark fruit and spiciness of the Ramie. The Anselmet was ripe and seductive on Day 2, really surprising especially for those of us that remember what the wines of Val d’Aosta used to be like.
You could definitely do a lot worse. If you do the Val di Susa, wherever else you go, don’t miss the Sacra di San Michele: one of the most mesmerising places I’ve ever been. If you go to the Val d’Ossola, there’s a lot to be said for that, too. To begin with, you’ll be near some of the greatest wines of the Alto Piemonte, and it hardly gets better than that, even in Italy
