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B-21 Top Recommendation
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"One of the finest vineyards and wineries in the Langhe today." - Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Ranked among "the most impressive Barolos of the vintage" according to Antonio Galloni of Vinous, the powerful and elegant 97 pt. 2020 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera hits the mark as one of the vintage's best among its higher profile peers, revealing a rich, concentrated core of brightly aromatic, dark fruit with a seamless backbone of fresh acidity and a long, vibrant finish, a stunning Cru Barolo bargain priced for collectors to lay down and savor over the next several decades.
Descended from Piedmont grape growers dating back to the late 19th century, Elio Grasso was sent away by his family to escape what they deemed a common life as a "contadino" or farmer, returning home upon his father's death to vinify the family's grapes for the first time in 1979 and producing "some of the most fairly priced, age worthy wines on the planet" according to critic Antonio Galloni. Managing the 24-hectare estate including 18 hectares of vineyards throughout Monforte d'Alba, Elio's son Gianluca sourced the 2020 Gavarini Chiniera from the amphitheater-shaped Vigna Chiniera parcel that is essentially a monopole of the Grasso family and widely regarded as the finest sub-cru in Monforte, the Nebbiolo vines planted in sandy chalk soils and protected on one end by a band of forested land purchased by the Grasso family to preserve the plot's biodiversity. Fermented in stainless steel in the Grasso's modern winery and cave tunneled below the vines, winemaker Gianluca aged the impressive 2020 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera in traditional large 15 to 22 year Slavonian oak barrels for four years with a further year in bottle, yielding "one of Grasso's most easily recognized wines" according to the Wine Advocate's Monica Larner with alluring fragrant dark fruit hinting of earthy truffle and crushed stone and firm, fine grained tannins promising a decades' long lifespan in the cellar.
Producing Nebbiolo wines that "stand out for their exceptional finesse" according to Vinous critic Galloni, the enticing 97 pt. 2020 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera reflects Elio Grasso's expertise of crafting classically styled Barolo perfectly balanced by refinement and finesse, a superb deal from an estate that despite its stellar reputation continues to over deliver value for fortunate Barolo collectors - as Galloni wrote over two decades ago, "When the comprehensive history of Piedmont is finally written, a very special place will need to be reserved for Elio Grasso." |
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The 2020 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is a heady, almost exotic wine. Harvest took place on October 17, very late for the year. Hard candy, kirsch, menthol, dried rose petal, mint and blood orange infuse the 2020 with striking depth. The tannins, often incisive here, are remarkably polished. A wine of beautiful nuance and persistence, the 2020 Gavarini is not the most obvious wine in this range, but it could very well be the classiest. Don't miss it!
97 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Jan 2024)
From 35-year-old vines and boasting a jeweled red color, the 2020 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is ripe and fruity on the nose, with a lot of spice to balance it out, revealing notes of baked red cherries, leather, toasted cedar, pine, and menthol. Medium-bodied, it offers a lot of freshness on the palate, with fine, approachable tannins and good, even freshness and acidity. Compared to the Case Mate, it has a more linear feel and offers a clean stony texture and more orange citrus fruit. It feels very balanced, and while it has a stamp of oak spice, it’s well-integrated. Give this another six months or so in bottle and drink it over the next 15 or more years.
97 points, Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck (May 2024)
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