Elio Grasso - Barolo DOCG - Monforte d'Alba - Cru Vigna Chiniera - 2019

Beloved 97/100 Points Cru Barolo Monforte d'Alba - Ginestra from the 2019 vintage.

Ruby red wine with garnet glints. In the nose aromas of strawberry, hibiscus, incense, bitter cocoa, liquorice, eucalyptus and mineral tones. In the mouth the wine is full, creamy, fresh, red ripe fruit, elegant and a fantastic long finish with rounded tannins.

The Casa Maté vineyard is part of the Ginestra hill in Monforte d'Alba. The vineyards are located at an altitude of 300 to 350 meters. The soil type is mainly clay with chalky sandstone. The vineyard is planted with 4,500 vines per hectare. The oldest vines were planted in 1978. Part of the vineyard was expanded in the early nineties of the last century. Average age of the vines is 40 years in 2024.

The grapes are harvested manually from the end of September to the end of October. They are carefully selected for their quality. The grapes are then gently pressed. Fermentation takes place in large steel vats. The must is regularly pumped around. The wine matures for 30 months in large Slavonian oak barrels of 25 HL. The wine is then bottled. The wine refines in the bottle for at least 8 to 10 months before it is marketed.

About Elio Grasso:
In the seventies of the last century, the banker Elio Grasso went to Barolo to lead the family business founded in 1928. Since then, the company has been the heritage of the family, who make the most beautiful wines with great passion and ambition. Elio Grasso makes exclusively Cru wines. In total, Elio Grasso has 18 hectares of vineyards, all located near Monforte d'Alba on the Ginestra hill in the southern part of the Barolo DOCG.

Robert Parker - 97/100 points

With vines adjacent to forests on white chalky soils, the Elio Grasso 2019 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is a luminous and very beautiful wine. Vintner Gianluca Grasso called this "the helicopter vintage" because he actually rented a helicopter to fly over the vines for 45 minutes to dry them from rain right before harvest. As he tells it, this was a costly but good decision because 15 minutes after he finished harvesting on October 26, heavy rain came and lasted an entire week. Thanks to these dramatic measures, the grape skins were excellent, and maceration with submerged cap lasted 55 days. That's how perfect the skins were. This balanced wine shows extreme precision and elegance.

James Suckling 94/100 points

Perfumes of cinnamon, plums and dried flowers follow through to a medium body, with fine tannins that run the length of the wine. Hints of cedar and sandalwood. Crunchy and lightly chewy. Give this four or five years to soften. Best after 2028.