Elio Grasso Nebbiolo Barolo Ginestra Vigna Casa Maté 2009

This bottle was drop dead gorgeous with its first glass (9 am). It was very feminine and pretty with fresh strawberry, sour cherry, roses, cedar and cinnamon stick and little of its structure poking through. The palate was nearly weightless. Then it shut down through the next six hours, where each taste showed a painfully young, structured Nebbiolo. However, at 4 PM, it reemerged as a beautiful bruiser with a ripe dark fruit and spice profile. The nose was marred slightly by the noticeable presence of heat but it was still lovely, and on the palate, it was firing on all cylinders with wonderful focus of red fruit. At every taste, the finish was amazingly long with staying red fruits that seemed to penetrate and saturate the taste buds. However, around 6pm, this bottle started to show a lot of its alcohol on both the nose and palate and I started to pick up on a lot of the Port-like notes that I've read about in other's tasting notes. The fruit turned candied and the mouthfeel showed like a weighty-velvet with glycerol notes. From this performance, it's hard to see where this bottle is going. I've heard good and bad about 2007, and i can image from today's performance, that if this was popped and poured, then my impression would be good and in the 95 point range. However, if given the time to really air out, I would rate it around 88 points. That's a pretty big swing, and so for now, I reserve judgement. Call it a 88 - 95 point wine, or just call me "Neutral".

Classic nose with cherries in alcohol topped by floral, spice and mineral tones with a suggestion of a Tootsie Roll. Silky on entry with pure, bright red fruits and wonderful balance. Exhibits elegance and finesse on the mid-palate with sweet fruit, but no fat, allowing the wine to express with great clarity. Lovely ripe tannins here that lead to an extended finish, which is full of expressive fruit-driven aromatics. 94pts

A deeper, fruity red with great balance.

Delicate aromas, with dark fruits, tobacco and minerals prevalent. A hint of rose petals. Red burgundy-like light, tannic (still), and very long. A dry, fresh, and elegant wine, representing good value for the money. Hard to find sub-par wines at the Grasso family’s estate! http://bit.ly/rLqbAH

The nose showed savory dark cherry reduction sauce, plum, tobacco, spice, undergrowth, mountain herbs, soil and mineral tones. On the palate it was rich and deep with silky textures and a hint of tannin still remaining. Flavors of black cherry and cinnamon spice permeated the palate though the finish, which lasted for half a minute.

The nose showed ripe cherry up front, which turned more to plum, rose and potpourri, a hint of mushroom and wet fall leaves. On the palate it was soft like silk, feeling weighty yet somehow light on it's feet. Dark red fruit, menthol and a core of minerals saturated the palate and stayed through the long finish. A balanced dose of fine grained tannin remained, which promised years of development yet still allowed this early glimpse to be incredibly enjoyable.

Meaty, spicy fruit nose. Good fresh acidity, bright ripe cherry and a bit of medicine.