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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 14 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by wormfarmer on 8/23/2022: Warm year + 19-year-wait + not great decant (at Bix; waiter looked at the bottle marked "Barolo" and asked "what kind of wine is this?") = sultanas macerated in brown sugar. [But not as sung by D'Angelo.] (453 views) | | | Tasted by TomColman on 11/20/2017 & rated 92 points: This bottle did way much better than the previous who was tired and flat. Beautiful liquorous cherry, a dark earthy mass, minty spices kn the finish. Beautiful acidity and polished tannins. (1671 views) | | | Tasted by TomColman on 2/15/2016 & rated 91 points: Typical nebbiolo, colour on its way to transparent brick. It's a structured wine with fine acidity, chalk-style minerality and tannins that still go strong. The mid-palate carries some weight but still is overpowered a bit by the backbone. The fruit is in conversion, a bit a sour cherries but mostly dried cherries. The minty spicy side is taking over there. Terrific wine, not great but solid. (2380 views) | | | Tasted by daniellobo on 7/28/2013 & rated 90 points: Nice and subtle, smooth, but maybe lacking something I'd look for in a great barolo.
Balsamic with some leather and earth, fading sour cherry. Nice acidity and dusty, soft tannins.
Overall interesting and correct, but not great. (4129 views) | | | Tasted by DaddyNeedsPow on 3/24/2013 & rated 93 points: Vibrant and multi-faceted. One sip shows impressive structure and the next shows a still youthful, suave, and long dose of dark red fruit and black tea. Aged Balsamic in the nose. Wonderful now and imagine it holding this peak for some time yet. (Scheer's bday) (4122 views) | | | Tasted by cannym on 3/22/2013 & rated 91 points: Quite dark still, almost mid-ruby but showing browning too. On first opening a real nail polish hit. After an hour or so and a proper decant it turned out much better. Plenty red fruits, roses and tarry notes too. Some fairly solid quite grainy tannins. Good length but nothing exceptional. Enjoyable to drink now but may well tire and dry out before the long term so worth thinking about drinking. (3908 views) | | | Tasted by french16 on 8/22/2011: Rich powerful but definitely nebbiolo. Lots of coffee on the nose with rich cherry. Loaded with tannins. Needs more time for the oak to integrate. Lack depth. (4051 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 11/10/2010: Monthly Tasting Group HWS #052; Italy: Barolo vs. Barbaresco (By RvD): Very strange bouquet and not like a Barolo. It has ethanol. Same on the palate. This must be an off bottle, so I do not score it. (1153 views) | | | Tasted by KeithAkers on 4/20/2009 & rated 89 points: connoisseur wines spring european portfolio (Vivere, Chicago IL): nose: nice and understated nose of dark red fruits, herbs, and dark spices. Good purity on the nose without being stewed like some 03s can be. Decent depth, but lacking in that area that would really make this a better nose
taste: good medium/light feel with medium+ acidity and medium+ tannins. Nice balance with lovely round tones of juniper berries, dark red cherries, and bits of herbs and spices
overall: a quality barolo. Drinking just fine, maybe it will add some more weight or depth with some age, but a massive miracle won't happen with this wine. An excellent barolo that is nice to drink, but seems to be lacking a slight bit of depth that would really help this (4689 views) | | | Tasted by Outplaying on 2/5/2009: Friends sharing good wines (Ann's, Avondale, PA): Nice firm tannins, cherries, a little cola, dry. When I came back to this wine later in the night it was very dry. I liked it better right out of the bottle, but then again my pallet was fried by the time I came back to it. I was surprised at how easy this was to drink for a young barolo. I guessed old world and grenache. (3210 views) | | | Tasted by williamswhine on 2/5/2009 & rated 91 points: Medium bodied, nice nose (spicy/green pepper). This red blend was a nice wine and one that most enjoyed during our tasting. (1669 views) | | | Tasted by Grinder on 10/8/2008 & rated 91 points: Light-color, almost Burgundian in the glass. Fantastic nose of roses and asphalt. Delicious cherry, smoke and tar on the palate. Complex and fresh, smooth tannins with a longish finish. Not a huge, brooding Barolo by any means. This is drinking very nice right now with an hour decant. This is the second 2003 Barolo I've had and both were terrific (Pio Cesare). Great value at $40 plus tax. 91+ (2366 views) |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2003 Barolo: Ten Years Later (Jun 2014)
(Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Vigna Chiniera) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, November/December 2007, IWC Issue #135
(Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Vigna Chiniera) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Piedmont Report (Oct 2007)
(Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Vigna Chiniera) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Elio Grasso Producer website
Elio Grasso had a choice. He could make powerful, unyielding wines from his beautiful estate in the hills behind Monforte, or he could emphasize balance and harmony. He chose the latter, and he meets these aims through rigid attention to the vineyards. Grasso and his family offer three single-vineyard Barolos, purer and more complex today than ever. The Vigna Chiniera and the Case Maté are made in a more traditional style while the powerful Runcot is aged for 30 months in all new barriques. Also look for their Nebbiolo from the Langhe and the Dolcetto d'Alba.
From MartinScottWines.com:
The estate vineyards and cellar, located outside the town of Monforte d’Alba, are surrounded by improbably steep vineyards on the eastern side of the Barolo appellation. The winery uses only estate grown grapes from varieties traditionally grown in the Langhe hill country near Alba. Elio works mostly in the vineyards, leaving the cellar work to his son Gianluca and wine consultant, Piero Ballario. Grasso farms Nebbiolo for the Barolo from 3 vineyards in Monforte – Ginestra Vigna Casa Mate, Gavarini Vigna Chiniera and Runcot, all with their own unique qualities. These south facing vineyards are planted on relatively loose-packed calcareous soil at elevations between 918-1,312 feet. All the grapes are vinified separately, according to the vineyard of provenance. The cellar displays an assortment of stainless steel tanks, where all the grapes are fermented, with the exception of Chardonnay, as well as 25 hectoliter Slavonian oak barrels and small 225 liter casks of French oak.Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini ChinieraFirst vintage: 1978
Aspect and height above sea level: south-facing, 350-400 metres
Soil type: moderately loose-packed, slightly sandy, limestone-based
Vine training system and planting density: Guyot-trained at 4,500 vines per hectare
Average age of productive vines: around 35 years
Harvest period and method: second 10 days of October, manual harvest
The vinification procedure for Barolo Gavarini Chiniera involves alcoholic fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, with daily pumping over. After completing malolactic fermentation, the wine matures in 25-hectolitre barrels of Slavonian oak. Bottling normally takes place in August. The Barolo Gavarini Chiniera then stays in the binning cellar for 8-10 months before release.NebbioloNebbiolo is a red grape indigenous to the Piedmont region of Italy in the Northwest. The grape can also be found in other parts of the world, though they are not as respected.
Nebbiolo is often considered the "king of red wines," as it is the grape of the famed wines of Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, and Roero DOCG. It is known for high tannins and acidity, but with a distinct finesse. When grown on clay, Nebbiolo can be very powerful, tannic, and require long aging periods to reach its full potential. When grown on sand, the grape exhibits a more approachable body with more elegant fruit and less tannins, but still has high aging potential.
"Nebbiolo" is named for the Italian word, "nebbia", which means "fog", in Italian and rightfully so since there is generally a lot of fog in the foothills of Piedmont during harvest.
Nebbiolo is a late-ripening variety that does best in a continental climate that boasts moderate summers and long autumns. In Piedmont, Nebbiolo is normally harvested in October.
More links:
Varietal character (Appellation America) | Nebbiolo on CellarTrackerItaly Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorPiedmont Vignaioli Piemontesi (Italian only)
On weinlagen-infoLanghe Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Roero | Union of Producers of Albese Wines (Albeisa)BaroloRegional History:
The wines of Piedmont are noted as far back as Pliny's Natural History. Due to geographic and political isolation, Piedmont was without a natural port for most of its history, which made exportation treacherous and expensive. This left the Piedmontese with little incentive to expand production. Sixteenth-century records show a mere 14% of the Bassa Langa under vine -- most of that low-lying and farmed polyculturally. In the nineteenth century the Marchesa Falletti, a frenchwoman by birth, brought eonologist Louis Oudart from Champagne to create the first dry wines in Piemonte. Along with work in experimental vineyards at Castello Grinzane conducted by Camilo Cavour -- later Conte di Cavour, leader of the Risorgimento and first Prime Minister of Italy -- this was the birth of modern wine in the Piedmont. At the heart of the region and her reputation are Alba and the Langhe Hills. This series of weathered outcroppings south of the Tanaro River is of maritime origin and composed mainly of limestone, sand and clay, known as terra bianca. In these soils -located mainly around the towns of Barolo and Barbaresco -- the ancient allobrogica, now Nebbiolo, achieves its renowned fineness and power.
map of Barolo DOCG
An interesting thread on Traditional vs. Modern Barolo producers:
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=106291 |
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