2017 Elio Grasso Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté

Community Tasting Notes (5) Median Score: 94 points

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  8/17/2022 - Charlie Carnes wrote:

  Either in HNC or drunk in HNC…

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  4/3/2022 - NoTrollingerPlease wrote:

  A matter of taste - Day 2: *** Brief notes from wine fair, primarily for my own memory ***
  Glass: Stölzle Universal
  A bit more tart and tight as 18, closer, tannin is a bit rougher. Needs more time to balance out, but will be nice in 5+ years for sure. 92++

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  12/31/2021 - Charlie Carnes Does not like this wine: 79 Points

  Holy cow what a hot mess. This has palate staining, astringent, nearly stewed fruit. I could not get the eucalyptus oil astringency out of my palate for quite a while. Would be surprised it this ever could turn the corner. No sweetness, no earth, no tar, this just seems like a modern hot ass mess!!

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  6/3/2021 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Tasted next to the Gavarini Chiniera, this is (as always) the darker, more structured and "deeper" wine, but also with darker tonalities of aromatics. Starting to close down, this is showing darker notes of black cherries, licorice, tobacco, tar, menthol, leather, also some lavender and crushed violets. It's full-bodied, dense and powerful, with high tannin (that is excellent quality) and medium-high acidity, as well as great overall balance. Long finish with plenty of grip and structure. This is as always built for the long haul, and it's showing surprising finesse for a hot vintage.
  Always so educational to taste this next to the Gavarini Chiniera, as these vineyards are both in the Ginestra Cru, very close to each other but so different in expression. The Gavarini is always more lifted, brighter, red-fruited and has some more finesse, while the Casa Mate always shows the more imposing, darker and structured side of Monforte/Ginestra. I love both of them for exactly these reasons.

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  5/21/2021 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 94 Points

  The '17 Casa Mate is a dark, somber wine, a great contrast to the bright and energetic Gavarini Chiniera. The aromatics on the Casa Mate were a bit closed off but over time revealed sweet black cherry fruit, licorice, lavender, menthol, and spices. On the palate, I found dense black fruit, licorice, balsamic spice, and a hint of mint adding freshness. The wine was hefty with significant tannin kicking in at the back end, but the tannins are finely-grained and should integrate nicely with time, impressive for the year. The wine lacks some of the sweetness and energy of the '16 but only on the margin. In an absolute sense, this is a very impressive wine and even more so in this difficult year.

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