2016 Barolo Riserva Rüncot

This is a stunning set of wines from Elio Grasso. As always, I tasted the 2021s next to the preceding vintage, which provided a terrific opportunity to compare the wines. I found the 2020s just as compelling as they were last year. The 2021s are the proverbial “iron fist in a velvet glove.” While many 2021s offer a good deal of relatively early approachability, the 2021s here require cellaring. Interestingly, today the Ginestra Casa Matè and Gavarini Chiniera feel a bit inverted in their personalities. The Ginestra comes across as a touch linear in its construction, while the Gavarini shows a bit more volume. I also tasted several vintages of the Barolo Riserva Rüncot that suggest there are great things in store here. These remain gorgeous, beautifully crystalline Barolos.

I tasted a number of exceptional wines at Elio Grasso this fall. The 2019s are gorgeous, vivid Barolos that capture the best the year had to offer. As always, the wines see lengthy macerations and are aged entirely in cask. The Gavarini Chiniera offers a bit more brilliance and vertical lift, while the Ginestra Casa Matè is a richer, broader wine. I also tasted the 2016 Barolo Riserva Rüncot, which spent a whopping sixty days on the skins and four years in 100% new French oak, none of which is evident. It is a riveting wine, to say the least. The Grassos embody all the values of Piedmont’s historic artisan families. It’s great to see them at the top.