2006 Barolo Ginestra Casa Mate

The 2006 Barolo Ginestra Casa Matè is simply marvelous. Sweet, balsamic and layered, this powerful Barolo covers the palate with endless dimensions to its fruit, showing exceptional richness and density. The wine continues to blossom beautifully in the glass with myriad expressions of dark, perfumed fruit that are hard to fully capture with words. This is class personified, but the tannins will require a measure of patience. Still, it is impossible to miss the wine's pedigree and significant potential.

The 2006 Barolo Ginestra Casa Mate is simply marvelous. Sweet, balsamic and layered, this powerful Barolo covers the palate with endless dimensions to its fruit, showing exceptional richness and density. The wine continues to blossom beautifully in the glass with myriad expressions of dark, perfumed fruit that are hard to fully capture with words. This is class personified, but the tannins will require a measure of patience. Still, it is impossible to miss the wine’s pedigree and significant potential. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2031. I was deeply impressed with the Barolos I tasted this year from Elio and Gianluca Grasso. This is an important vintage for the Grasso family, and readers will want to get their hands on these exceptionally pure, beautiful wines before they disappear. In discussing their 2006s, many producers draw comparisons with their 1989s. This is one of the cases where such a comparison seems fitting. Speaking of which, readers may want to take a look at my notes on Grasso’s 1989s (and 1990s, too) in my “What About Now” feature in this issue. Grasso farms three vineyards in Monforte; Ginestra, Gavarini and Runcot, all of which have their own unique qualities. Harvest times can vary as much as 7-10 days from parcel to parcel. The Barolos are fermented using the traditional submerged cap method and see a full month of maceration on the skins. Malolactic fermentation is done in steel, and the wines are subsequently aged in cask. Despite all of their success, Elio, Marina, Gianluca and Francesca Grasso, along with their cellarmaster Enrico Marchisio, remain some of the most unassuming, humble and classy people readers will meet in Piedmont. 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; Admirality Beverage Co. Columbia Distributing Company, Portland, Oregon; tel. (503) 289-9600; Oliver McCrum Wines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 654-9159

Good full red. Reticent nose offers strawberry, nuts, mocha and brown spices ("more typical Barolo," notes Grasso, and less red-fruity at this stage). Fat, sweet and deep; showing more texture than the Gavarini but less open to inspection today. This really explodes on the back half, finishing with superb breadth and length and a perfume of dried flowers. Big, dense tannins and a firm acid spine give this a serious structure.