CRITIC REVIEWS
Walter Speller
Monforte d’Alba – Ginestra. Lustrous mid ruby. Balsamic and a little ethereal on the nose, with perfumed morello cherry and cinnamon bark. Layered and complex. Gorgeous, succulent cherry palate with chewy tannins. Ready now but will age. (WS)
Monica Larner
With vines adjacent to forests on white chalky soils, the Elio Grasso 2019 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is a luminous and very beautiful wine. Vintner Gianluca Grasso called this "the helicopter vintage" because he actually rented a helicopter to fly over the vines for 45 minutes to dry them from rain right before harvest. As he tells it, this was a costly but good decision because 15 minutes after he finished harvesting on October 26, heavy rain came and lasted an entire week. Thanks to these dramatic measures, the grape skins were excellent, and maceration with submerged cap lasted 55 days. Thats how perfect the skins were. This balanced wine shows extreme precision and elegance.