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2016 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Vigna Chiniera

Removed from a subterranean, temperature and humidity controlled residential cellar

2 available
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Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

98The Wine Advocate

...expressive and bright....savory and rich with a generous bouquet of dried berries, spice, crushed flowers and even a hint of market-fresh blueberry...bouquet moves toward balsam notes with mint and rosemary the longer it stays in the glass...anise flower and fresh licorice root as a pretty signature on the close.

97Wine Enthusiast

...opens with enticing scents of rose, woodland berry, forest floor and a balsamic whiff of camphor...full bodied and elegantly structured, delivering flavors of ripe morello cherry, raspberry compote, cinnamon and licorice before a hazelnut close. Firm fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity provide the framework.

96+ Vinous / IWC

Vertical and explosive in the glass with tons of pure power...gorgeous Barolo… Swaths of tannin wrap around a core of sweet red cherry fruit. White pepper, mint, orange peel and floral notes...brilliant acids and tannins...a striking wine...

95James Suckling

...wonderfully floral red with strawberry, sliced-orange and floral character. Medium to full body with very integrated, fine tannins and a beautiful finish. So refined.

16Jancis Robinson

REGION

Italy, Piedmont, Barolo

Barolo is one of Italy’s greatest wine appellations. In fact many cognoscenti of Italian wines consider Barolo to be the apex of Italian winemaking. Barolo is sometimes referred to as “the king of wines, and the wine of kings” partly because until the mid-19th century Piedmont was owned by the noble House of Savoy, the historic rulers of northwestern Italy. And the Savoys had a taste for Nebbiolo. Nestled into the rolling hills of Langhe, the Barolo DOCG includes 11 communes, one of which is the town of Barolo. There are 4,200 vineyard acres in the appellation and since the late 19th century growers have tried to identify their best vineyards. By marketing some vineyards as better quality than others, Barolo producers have followed the Burgundian custom of making single vineyard, or “cru” vineyard bottlings. As in neighboring Barbaresco, the Barolo DOCG requires that wines be 100% Nebbiolo, a grape thought of as the Pinot Noir of Italy. Records show that Nebbiolo was grown in the Piedmont as early as the 14th century, and despite being somewhat finicky – it is late to ripen and easily damaged by adverse weather --- Nebbiolo makes highly aromatic and powerful red wines. Until the mid-19th century Nebbiolos of Piedmont were vinified as sweet wines, though that ended in the late 19th century when a French oenologist was invited to Piedmont to show producers how to make dry reds. Barolo was made a DOC in 1966 and upgraded to DOCG status in 1980. Barolos must be aged at least three years, at least two of those years in wood. Barolos are tannic and robust and generally need at least five years to soften into complex, earthy wines.

TYPE

Red Wine, Nebbiolo, D.O.C.G.

This red grape is most often associated with Piedmont, where it becomes DOCG Barolo and Barbaresco, among others. Its name comes from Italian for “fog,” which descends over the region at harvest. The fruit also gains a foggy white veil when mature.