Wine Advisor
Elio Grasso, Barolo Ginestra Casa Mate 2012
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
The 2012 Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté is a thickly layered and structured Nebbiolo that offers more power and muscle compared to the ethereal Barolo Gavarini Chiniera. The bouquet is redolent of tobacco, autumnal leaf, truffle, tar, cola and tobacco. At its core, the wine exhibits a dark, berry-driven personality. The mouthfeel shows firmness and austerity that will help to move the wine gracefully forward to complete its slow evolution. Already at this young stage, this Barolo shows an impressive level of elegance and nuance.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Aromas of flowers, strawberry and dried sage come through. Full-bodied, firm and tannic. Chewy tannins yet polished and fine texture. Subtle and flavorful. Drink in 2020.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Dark, rich and enveloping, the 2012 Barolo Ginestra Casa Matè wraps around the palate with serious intensity. The flavors are deep and boldly sketched throughout. Plum, black cherries, menthol, licorice and cloves build to the voluptuous, explosive finish. The Barolo Ginestra Vigna Casa Matè is another wine that is going to require considerable time in bottle, but it is fabulous, even at this very early stage. The Casa Matè is one of the most vivid, dramatic Barolos of the vintage.
About the Producer
Elio Grasso’s History Born within an old family of Monforte d’Alba with substantial vineyards in the prestigious parts of the town, Grasso may seem destined for a career as a Barolo producer . But instead he chose a different path, at least in the early stages of adult life, choosing to work in the world of finance and living an urban existence that was decidedly different from that of the rural world in which he was born and raised. The wines of Elio Grasso The call of the land, however, eventually proved strong, and the return to Monforte d’Alba was probably only a matter of time. And what he returned to was in fact an impressive patrimony: 18 hectares of vineyards that include first-rate sites such as Chiniera , Casa Matè , and Runcot . Grasso, in fact, just in 1978, decided to ferment and age on his own the grapes of his best plots and was a pioneer in selling both a regular Barolo and also a series of crus . As a producer, Grasso has always been attentive to tradition, but, given the important experiences linked to the numerous generations of his family in the area, he has never wanted to radically transform his wines: both Chiniera and Casa Matè are aged in barrels; only the Runcot , a Riserva , ages in small barrels. Innovation, on the other hand, is represented by two other wines from the line: the excellent Barbera Martina aged in barrels and Educato , a Chardonnay fermented in barrels.
