2008 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera

Community Tasting Notes (82) Avg Score: 94 points

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  3/10/2024 - jamesabdavis wrote:

  Lovely, textbook Barolo.
  Tar, herbs and minerality on the nose. Lovely herbal frangance, violet pastilles.
  Nicely integrated, dry tannins, fresh.
  Beautiful. The floral quality emerged just as we were finishing the magnum - open earlier next time!

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  2/25/2024 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 95 Points

  The '08 Gavarini is a stunning wine and starting to drink very well. I also tasted the Casa Mate a few weeks ago and while it is a great wine, the Gavarini seems a bit more approachable and as usual, I find the Gavarini to have more purity and a more attractive (to me) fruit profile.
  
  On the nose, the Gavarini opens with a burst of fresh red roses, with the floral notes more dominant than the fruit. Sweet, pure red berry fruit, fresh mint, sweet spices, and a hint of anise round out the aromatics. On the palate, the texture of the '08 Gavarini is pure silk, with fully resolved tannins, medium in body. I found sweet red berry fruit, red floral tones, mint, and a hint of licorice and spice towards the back end. The purity of the fruit and floral tones is remarkable. There's that sense of sweetness that characterizes the finest Nebbiolo.
  
  The '08 isn't quite as good as the '10 IMO, but it's an absolutely stunning wine. I should say this is the best bottle I have had in a while. I purchased the wine a few years after release from a handful of sources, and this bottle suggests some of the bottles (that were attractive, but a bit more muddled in the fruit expression) I've had in the past were likely not stored perfectly.

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  2/14/2024 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points

  This had a bit of VA and dustiness at first, but there was a clear amount of fruit so I felt like 5+ hours of air would help. And it definitely did as the nose shows off a maturing side that is still fresh with dark red cherries, raspberries, cranberries, rose petals, crushed rocks, earth notes, tobacco leaf, roasted herbs, wild flowers, savory spices, and a touch of dried red fruits. The Full bodied feel is refined and elegant with tart, high acidity and silky, high tannins. The structure still has plenty of youth, but this is well into its journey. This is fully in the drink it if you got it category depending on how you like your Barolo.

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  12/31/2023 - HeavyPourWine Likes this wine: 93 Points

  NYE Vino Fest (Atlanta, GA): Tasted at the annual 2023 New Years Eve Vino Fest in Atlanta. BYOB and guests were encouraged to bring wines with years ending with a 3. No formal notes, just scores. From Mag. Brad - heavypourwine.com

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  12/31/2023 - gilrbo wrote:

  Opened the bottle around lunchtime and drunk over dinner with family, next to the Casa Matè of the same vintage. From memory.
  This was the more elegant and accessible of the two. While the character was quite tarry, this also had red fruit and floral elements on the nose and a balanced, firm, but elegant palate. It was preferred by everyone at the table, including me, even though at the very end, when drinking the last sips after dinner, I found reasons to change my mind.

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