Wine Advisor
Elio Grasso, Barolo Riserva Runcot 2015
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
The last time we saw this iconic wine was in 2013 (a vintage that earned a perfect score). Following up on that success, the Elio Grasso 2015 Barolo Riserva Rüncot is a generous, open-knit Nebbiolo that has much of the warmth and sunshine locked deep within its core. The bouquet reveals broad brush aromas of black fruit, blackberry preserves, smoky tar and baked plum. With 7,000 bottles made, this Riserva is smooth and velvety in texture. There's no reason why it can't hold until the mid-century mark.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2015 Barolo Riserva Rüncot is absolutely gorgeous. That much is clear. The only thing the 2015 needs is time. Time in the glass brings out the wine's inner perfume and bright, red-toned fruit. Blood orange, spice, mint, licorice and dried flowers linger on the persistent, sculpted finish. Readers should not plan on opening a bottle any time soon, as the Rüncot only starts to drink well at around age ten, at a minimum. There is certainly plenty to look forward to.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Lots of plums, ripe strawberries, walnuts, smoke and tar on the nose, together with some black mushrooms, following through to a full body with powerful yet polished tannins and a long, long finish. Drinkable now, but better in three or four years.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2015 Barolo Riserva Rüncot is absolutely gorgeous. That much is clear. The only thing the 2015 needs is time. Time in the glass brings out the wine's inner perfume and bright, red-toned fruit. Blood orange, spice, mint, licorice and dried flowers linger on the persistent, sculpted finish. Readers should not plan on opening a bottle any time soon, as the Rüncot only starts to drink well at around age ten, at a minimum. There is certainly plenty to look forward to.
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.
