2001 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera

These are three fine Baroli from the Grasso family. Personally, I think the wines improved markedly after 2004 or so, but the 2001s have nevertheless aged nicely.

Tucked away off the main roads in Monforte, Elio Grasso's estate is in one of the most peaceful, idyllic spots in the Langhe. For some reason this producer is not as well-known as some of his colleagues, yet in my conversations with other winemakers Grasso is always spoken of with the highest admiration and esteem. The estate's approach is based on rigorous attention to the vineyards, where low yields are the rule. From their fruit in the Gavarini and Ginestra crus in Monforte the estate makes a wide range of excellent wines in a unique style that marries elements of both traditional and modern styles. The Chiniera and Casa Maté Barolos see fermentation of about 12-16 days, and the wines are aged in 25 hectoliter Slavonian oak barrels, while the Rüncot is a more modern-styled wine made from lower yields and aged in barriques.

Gianluca Grasso says the family estate sacrificed 60% of the crop in 2002 by doing two green harvests plus a third selection in the cellar in quest of riper fruit, yet will only make a single Barolo. "The vineyard designations should be reserved for the best expressions of our parcels," he explained. The scorching summer of 2003 brought virtually the opposite problems as 2002. "If I could have stuck leaves on the vines to protect the grapes from sun, I would have," Grasso told me. "It was a big mistake to de-leaf in 2003. "Grasso is high on his 2001 Barolos. "It was a fantastic summer for nebbiolo, with great harvest weather; the fruit was ripe but not overripe," he explained, adding that his other recent favorites are '98 and '96. The wines here have grown in aromatic purity and complexity in recent vintages. Grasso told me that, beginning in 2000, with each racking he scrapes a bit of wet wood from the barrels (and also uses sulfur); this technique he says, has eliminated most of the animal and leather tastes in the wines and facilitated better oxygenation during elevage. (Importers include Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ; Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd. , Lake Success, NY; Langdon-Shiverick, Cleveland, OH; and Oliver McCrum Wines, Oakland, CA)