2014 Elio Grasso, Barolo

This is a new wine that was only made in this vintage to address low yields and difficult growing conditions. In truth, it was also produced in 2002 for the same reasons. The 2014 Barolo is a blend of Nebbiolo grapes from the Grasso family's best vineyard sites: Casa Maté and Gavarini Chiniera. In a very happy and nostalgic way, this wine brings us back in time to when Barolo was more streamlined and linear in style. The limestone-rich soils of Gavarini Chiniera give the wine its aromatic profile with delicate tones of wild berry and blue flower. The Casa Maté site provides the robust texture and structure you taste here. This wine was designed to be offered at a lower price point (that's great news for us!). It offers an accessible personality that makes it easy to enjoy at your favorite Italian restaurant. I put the plus sign next to my score to underline the value you get here.

In 2014, Gianluca Grasso opted to bottle one Barolo that is a blend of juice from Gavarini and Chiniera. Grasso's 2014 Barolo is a beautiful wine that captures the personality of the vintage. Lithe, perfumed and aromatic, the 2014 exudes class from start to finish. The flavors are wonderfully bright and vibrant, with plenty of red fruit and expressive floral and overtones. The 2014 is a pretty, feminine wine that may very well surprise down the road. The Gavarini fruit saw 25 days on the skins, while fermentation and maceration for the Ginestra lots was 30-45 days, all with submerged cap. When bottling time came, Grasso preferred the blended Barolo to what would have been vineyard designate Gavarini and Ginestra Barolos. The juice from Rüncot went into the the Langhe Nebbiolo, which is the custom when the flagship Riserva is not bottled.

Monforte d’Alba. Tasted blind. Mid ruby with bright orange tinges. Dark, minerally nose with a touch of spice and Band-Aid. Sweet, but light cherry fruit on the palate with dark spices. The acidity is a little austere, but the finish is dark spice and marasca cherry. Perhaps a little unbalanced. (WS)