Elio Grasso’s 2016s are some of the most reticent wines I tasted. I would have to go back pretty far to find another vintage in which the wines are so taut and piercing in the early going. Gianluca Grasso gave his 2016s a whopping 60 days on the skins. As always, the wines are aged in cask, the exception being the Rüncot, which is aged in French oak. Readers will have to be especially patient with the 2016s.
Martin Müllen Kröver Paradies Riesling Spätlese*** Trocken "Luci & Deare"
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Speri Vigneto Monte Sant'Urbano, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG
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2016 Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera DOCG
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The 2016 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is a vibrant, massively tannic, austere wine, the likes of which I have never tasted here before. Vertical and explosive in the glass with tons of pure power, the 2016 Gavarini Chiniera is a gorgeous Barolo that is going to need a number of years to be at its best. Swaths of tannin wrap around a core of sweet red cherry fruit. White pepper, mint, orange peel and floral notes develop a bit later, but the 2016 remains reticent and inward, with brilliant acids and tannins that dominate today. The 2016 is a striking wine, but it is going to require considerable patience.
Antonio Galloni. Tasting date: November 2019 96+
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