Description
"Grasso's 2017 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is fabulous. In fact, the Gavarini is easily one of the wines of the vintage because it retains all of its classic signatures, which is also the sign of a first-class vineyard. Bright and vibrant in the glass, the Gavarini pulses with energy. Crushed red flowers, mint, chalk, white pepper, cinnamon and orange peel give the 2017 a super-classic Nebbiolo profile, as expressed in a relatively high-altitude site. The precision and finesse of the tannins - so hard to find in 2017- elevates the Gavarini into the realm of the sublime." - 96 Points Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com
"Gianluca Grasso made some of the most thrilling wines of 2017. The wines stand out for their exceptional finesse. Grasso is one of a handful of estates with 2017s that approach the level of the 2016s. That is the highest compliment I can pay the wines. The Gavarini is a bit more focused, while the Ginestra is a bit darker and broader. Both wines are riveting. Macerations were a bit shorter than normal, but with submerged cap vinification, which is typical here. As always, the Barolos are aged in cask.
"We are looking for 200 days between budbreak and harvest, that is typical for us,” Grasso told me. “In 2017, we had 185, so the growing season was shorter than normal, but not as extreme as 2011, where we had 170 days from budbreak to harvest. We did two green harvests to try to balance the vineyard as much as possible." That certainly seems to have worked. These are special wines from one of Piedmont's most admired families." - extracted from www.vinous.com
