Wine Advisor
Elio Grasso, Barolo Riserva Runcot 2007
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Elio Grasso did not produce the Barolo Riserva in 2005, 2009 or 2011. However, you can enjoy the stunning 2007 Barolo Riserva Runcot shortly. Super-low yields in the vineyard (down to three clusters per vine) make for a wine of enormous intensity and beauty. The whole effect is truly spectacular. Soaring aromas of dark fruit, licorice, tar, pressed rose, lavender, garden herb, dried mint and brimstone develop momentum and power with each swirl of the glass. Nebbiolo-s trademark structure holds the wine together, but the beautiful 2007 vintage has added its part with extra layers of softness and richness. This is pure pleasure. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2038. Elio Grasso and his son Gianluca have created one of the finest vineyards and wineries in the Langhe today. The energy shared by this dynamic father and son team demonstrates that no ambition is too far stretched or lofty - as long as there is a will for hard work. Investments made over the last decade include a state-of-the-art winery complete with an underground cellar, buried 45 meters below the vineyards. Recently, Gianluca says his passion has turned to vineyard work: "The point is not being the greatest wine producer. It is to be the greatest producer of grapes." Various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808; Langdon Shiverick Imports, Cleveland, OH; tel. (213) 483-5900; Classic Wine Imports, Norwood, MA; tel. (800) 862-4585; Admirality Beverage Co., Portland, OR; tel. (503) 265-3555
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Grasso’s 2007 Barolo Riserva Runcot bursts from the glass with waves of expressive dark fruit, spices, crushed flowers. Rich, textured and voluminous, the 2007 boasts considerable depth and sheer power. Today the oak is slightly pronounced, but the Runcot has a way of finding its true center in bottle, and I am quite sure that will be the case here as well. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2037. Importers: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808; Langdon Shiverick Imports, Cleveland, OH; tel. (213) 483-5900; Classic Wine Imports, Norwood, MA; Admirality Beverage Co. Columbia Distributing Co., Portland, Oregon; tel. (503) 289-9600; Oliver McCrum Wines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 654-9159
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This shows amazing purity of fruit, with strawberries, flowers and cherries. Full-bodied, with superb tannins and fruit that goes on for minutes. It was aged for 45 months in 100 per cent new French oak barrels and you don't even sense any wood. Greatest wine ever made here? 6,000 bottles. Better in 2017.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Elio Grasso’s Runcot Riserva has a serious following among Barolo collectors. The 2007 shows amazing purity of fruit, with strawberry, cherry and floral character. It’s full-bodied, with superb tannins—and the fruit goes on for minutes. Better in 2017.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Grasso's 2007 Barolo Riserva Runcot bursts from the glass with waves of expressive dark fruit, spices, crushed flowers. Rich, textured and voluminous, the 2007 boasts considerable depth and sheer power. Today the oak is slightly pronounced, but the Runcot has a way of finding its true center in bottle, and I am quite sure that will be the case here as well.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright medium red. Red plum and redcurrant aromas along with oak tones of mocha and coffee. Plush, ripe and rich, with cherry and mocha flavors dominating. Finishes with dusty, fine-grained tannins but seems a bit diffuse and dry on the back. A bit "international" in style for a Barolo from this superb producer. This spent 40 months in 100% new barriques and was bottled after a further year in tank.
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.
