Wine Advisor
Elio Grasso, Barolo Riserva Runcot 2013
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
If any Italian wine from this decade can undeniably be called a reserve, it is the 2013 Barolo Riserva Rüncot. This wine was not made in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017 nor 2018. (The 2013 vintage will be released commercially in February of 2020, and this is the wine's first official review.) Gianluca Grasso holds the precious bottle I tasted from as if it were a newborn child. This vintage saw a relatively long growing season, and it offers greater fruit density, structure and acidity than the last edition that was made, the 2010. There is more vibrancy here and a true sense of energy brimming right there under the surface. The wine goes through 45 days of extended maceration post-fermentation and then a solid seven years of aging between oak and bottle. The resulting Riserva Rüncot has a stunning bouquet that is all violets and prunes, followed by a classic palate of minerals, herbs, cinnamon and delicate wafts of white truffle. This wine tells a story from nose to finish, like a flashing film reel. Fewer than 5,000 bottles were made. This is a crowning achievement for the hard-working and passionate Grasso family, led by father Elio and son Gianluca. Congratulations.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2013 Barolo Riserva Rüncot is a stunning beauty. Vibrant and powerful in the glass, the 2013 shows all of the classical austerity of this late-ripening vintage along with the extra kick of richness that comes from three and a half years in 100% new French oak. Dark macerated cherry, tobacco, spice, licorice and dried flowers flesh out in a wine that is powerful, sumptuous and full-bodied to the core. Grasso will release the 2013 in 2020, a year later that is typical, but that probably won't be enough for this wine to be fully expressive. Rüncot is a wine that needs time to fully emerge, but the 2013 is incredibly promising even in the early going. Wow!
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Ripeness of the vintage comes through with dried strawberries and porcini with hints of lily, following through to a full body with chewy, polished tannins and a lightly mouth-puckering finish. Still very youthful, yet so bright and focused. Drink or hold.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2013 Barolo Riserva Rüncot is a stunning beauty. Vibrant and powerful in the glass, the 2013 shows all of the classical austerity of this late-ripening vintage along with the extra kick of richness that comes from three and a half years in 100% new French oak. Dark macerated cherry, tobacco, spice, licorice and dried flowers flesh out in a wine that is powerful, sumptuous and full-bodied to the core. Grasso will release the 2013 in 2020, a year later that is typical, but that probably won't be enough for this wine to be fully expressive. Rüncot is a wine that needs time to fully emerge, but the 2013 is incredibly promising even in the early going. Wow!
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.
