Wine Advisor
Elio Grasso, Barolo Ginestra Casa Mate 2020
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
The Elio Grasso 2020 Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté reveals a leaner, more streamlined mouthfeel compared to past vintages (especially compared to the far more concentrated 2019 vintage). The wine shows pretty brightness with wild berry, underripe cranberry, potting soil and sour cherry. There’s a wild hint of Eastern European dill or crushed mint as well. This edition is slightly more accessible overall with an open-knit approach and granular tannins.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Notes of ripe cherries and red plums with hints of sandalwood and licorice. Medium-bodied with firm tannins. It’s structured and focused with complexity and depth. Ripe and vivid fruit in the middle with a dry, polished finish. Try after 2028.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2020 Barolo Ginestra Casa Matè is gorgeous. Aromatically captivating and nuanced, the 2020 impresses right out of the gate. All the classic Ginestra signatures are present. Today the tannins are pretty imposing in the positive sense, as they are present, but also impeccably balanced within the wine's frame. This is impressive stuff. The substantial, balsamic-infused Ginestra finish is captivating.
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.
