The family-run Elio Grasso estate of Piedmont, Italy is back with more outstanding Barolos that marry a traditional bracing structure with a modern clarity of flavors and textures, all made possible by generations of winemaking experience. Since 1978 they've been bottling their two vineyards separately; while they have their distinct characters, both are on limestone-based soils in the Monforte d'Alba area, contributing to finely-etched, mineral mouthfeels.
Elio Grasso's single vineyard wines are special even in a category that's as special as Barolo: they are wines to muse over, and to be enjoyed with equally special meals. They are built to unwind over the coming years and will easily stand the test of a couple decades, evolving into something new. As for all Barolos of this class, the younger you open them, the more hours in a decanter you'll want to give them to open up. Get these while they're here, as collectors will make them vanish quickly!
From the lower part of the slopes, this is the heart of Ginestra with slightly more clay in the area's calcareous-sandy/clay soils. This bottling has a fleshier, darker, broader profile with more tannic power than the Gavarini Chiniera bottling.... a 'textbook Monforte' Barolo, though still showing more elegance and aromatic display than sites like Pajana or the heart of Bussia.
VINOUS 97 POINTS - "The 2021 Barolo Ginestra Casa Matè is fabulous. Bright and transparent, with captivating depth, the 2021 is a stunning beauty. Enveloping balsamic notes make a strong opening statement that remains a theme here. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice and blood orange all come alive in the glass. What a wine! [-01/25]
"... wraps around the palate with dark-toned fruit, new leather, incense, mocha, lavender and cloves. Ample and quite potent, the Ginestra marries volume with tremendous structural intensity. Time in the glass brings out layers of spice and balsamic-infused notes that are such signatures of the Ginestra district.[-01/26]" - Antonio Galloni
WINE ADVOCATE 97 POINTS - "The Elio Grasso 2021 Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté opens with intensely floral aromatics of rose and violet before unfolding into licorice, crushed flowers and a dense yet lifted aromatic core. The palate is broad and profound, combining power with elegance, as crunchy fruit texture and fine, chalky tannins carry the wine through a graceful and resonant close. Sourced from higher-elevation vineyards at 400–410 meters with a greater clay component and earlier harvest timing, this site-driven Barolo underscores the importance of precise phenolic maturity in shaping one of Gianluca Grasso’s most compelling wines to date."
PRACTICING ORGANIC
Elio Grasso's single vineyard wines are special even in a category that's as special as Barolo: they are wines to muse over, and to be enjoyed with equally special meals. They are built to unwind over the coming years and will easily stand the test of a couple decades, evolving into something new. As for all Barolos of this class, the younger you open them, the more hours in a decanter you'll want to give them to open up. Get these while they're here, as collectors will make them vanish quickly!
From the lower part of the slopes, this is the heart of Ginestra with slightly more clay in the area's calcareous-sandy/clay soils. This bottling has a fleshier, darker, broader profile with more tannic power than the Gavarini Chiniera bottling.... a 'textbook Monforte' Barolo, though still showing more elegance and aromatic display than sites like Pajana or the heart of Bussia.
VINOUS 97 POINTS - "The 2021 Barolo Ginestra Casa Matè is fabulous. Bright and transparent, with captivating depth, the 2021 is a stunning beauty. Enveloping balsamic notes make a strong opening statement that remains a theme here. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice and blood orange all come alive in the glass. What a wine! [-01/25]
"... wraps around the palate with dark-toned fruit, new leather, incense, mocha, lavender and cloves. Ample and quite potent, the Ginestra marries volume with tremendous structural intensity. Time in the glass brings out layers of spice and balsamic-infused notes that are such signatures of the Ginestra district.[-01/26]" - Antonio Galloni
WINE ADVOCATE 97 POINTS - "The Elio Grasso 2021 Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté opens with intensely floral aromatics of rose and violet before unfolding into licorice, crushed flowers and a dense yet lifted aromatic core. The palate is broad and profound, combining power with elegance, as crunchy fruit texture and fine, chalky tannins carry the wine through a graceful and resonant close. Sourced from higher-elevation vineyards at 400–410 meters with a greater clay component and earlier harvest timing, this site-driven Barolo underscores the importance of precise phenolic maturity in shaping one of Gianluca Grasso’s most compelling wines to date."
PRACTICING ORGANIC
