2008 Barolo Ginestra Casa Matè

The finest 2008 Barolos are utterly magnificent, profound wines that represent a new paradigm for Italy’s most famous and collectible red. Simply put, today’s Barolos no longer require decades of cellaring to deliver the fireworks that make Nebbiolo such a singular grape. The late harvest yielded a set of beautifully perfumed, sensual wines that are all about finesse.

I was thrilled to lead this intimate tasting at Pebble Beach Food & Wine in April 2014. For the occasion, I chose eight reference-point Barolos covering all styles - from super-classic to modern. Emily Wines, Shayne Bjornholm and Jay James, a formidable trio of Master Sommeliers, joined me on the panel and were incredibly generous in sharing their views with the audience.

For more information on the wines, readers might enjoy this short video I shot just before the tasting. A comprehensive overview of the vintage is available in 2008 Barolo: The Incredible Lightness of Being. Lastly, our Interactive Barolo Map is the perfect companion through which to explore the vineyards mentioned in the video and the tasting notes that accompany this article.

I could feel my heart racing as I tasted Gianluca Grasso's 2008s. Both 2008 Baroli are drop-dead gorgeous wines that capture the purest essence of hillside Monforte brilliance. The 2008s have begun to shut down since I first tasted them from bottle in November, 2011. The focus, length and sheer pedigree, however, have always been on full display. My advice? Buy the wines and forget about them for a good decade-plus. Two decades would be better. These remain some of the most fairly priced, ageworthy 2008s on the planet. Congratulations to the Grasso family for two monumental wines that embody everything that makes Barolo so magnificent. These are both must-have wines.

Gianluca Grasso, who has taken his family's wines to a higher level in recent years, has made a couple of extraordinary Barolos in vintage 2008, a vintage he says is the best for Barolo since 2001. "The long vegetative cycle, with cool nights, allowed us to get 100% ripeness," he explained. "But 2009 is just okay for nebbiolo due to irregular weather." The family's view of the vintage is obviously colored by the fact that they lost some vines around the edges of their Gavarini vineyard during mudslides in March and April. I got the impression that Gianluca's father Elio is thrilled to be able to devote full time to his vineyards, although when I asked him if he still controls 51% of the vote when it comes to cellar decisions, he said, "oh yes." Since the 2008 harvest, the Grassos have been testing out a new conveyor-belt sorting table made by a company in Veneto, which uses a plastic hand and an adjustable net that allows them to prevent bits of stems from falling through. "We can even block the larger berries, if we want," said Gianluca. "It's necessary to go slowly, but we get nothing green in the juice." Gianluca, a long-time Burgundy lover, told me "in my next life I want to be born in Burgundy." (Importers include Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., Lake Success, NY; Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ )