Elio Grasso, Barolo, Ginestra Casa Maté 2018 6x75cl

88 Points, Antonio Galloni, 2024-2034 Vinous The 2018 Barolo Ginestra Casa Matè shows just how challenging this vintage is for sites that are moisture retentive. Large-scaled tannins and awkward contours are impossible to escape. Game, iron, licorice, smoke, tobacco and dried herbs add to a distinctly wild, feral feel.Review Date: 01 Feb 22

Situated in Monforte d’Alba, the estate extends over 42 hectares of land of which 18 are dedicated to vineyards. They started making wine in 1978 from plantings of Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto. Their production sits at a maximum of just 90,000 bottles annually, which they proclaim allows them to maintain meticulous control and care throughout the production process. Since taking over from his father Elio, winemaker Gianluca Grasso has worked tirelessly to bring about added refinement and consistency in the wines of Elio Grasso. We have been visiting the family since the 2001 vintage and have known their wines since the 1996 vintage. In the last decade they have lifted the bar for quality hugely. As with a number of other Piemonte estates, they have benefited from an unprecedented run of high-quality vintages, dictated first and foremost by the weather during the growing season, but equally Gianluca’s deft hand in winemaking has brought about greater purity and nuance in the estate’s wines. Gianluca and his father Elio, have always stressed the winemaker’s adage that wine is made in the vineyard. Gianluca is obsessive about determining the perfect moment to harvest and is not averse to taking risks in the vineyard.