The 1989 Barolo Ginestra Vigna Casa Mate is another heady, almost intoxicating Barolo imbued with endless layers of fragrant, perfumed fruit. Stylistically, it is very similar to the Gavarini in this vintage, but with the darker fruit, additional weight and sheer muscle that defines this particular parcel in Ginestra, one of Barolo's grand cru sites. This explosive, kaleidoscopic Barolo is a marvelous achievement. Readers fortunate enough to own the 1989 Barolo Ginestra Vigna Casa Mate can look forward to another 20 years of breathtaking drinking. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030.
By the time I arrived at Elio Grasso's beautiful winery in November 2009 I had tasted nearly all of Piedmont's benchmark 1989 and 1990 Barolos. Still, nothing could have prepared me for the wines I would encounter. Grasso's 1989 and 1990 Barolos are monumental, epic wines of the very highest level that easily stand side by side with the finest wines produced in both vintages. Massively concentrated and dense, the wines will easily last for another 20 years and quite likely longer. Elio Grasso came to making wine somewhat accidentally after the passing of his father. In fact, he didn't drink wine until his mid-30s! The family originally sold wine in bulk, but when that became too demanding, the estate turned to selling the fruit itself. Elio Grasso's first official vintage was 1979 although he also made a small amount wine in 1978 from fruit he was unable to sell. Curiously, Grasso describes himself as a poor taster of wines, and during this time he was assisted by Pietro Ballario, who had worked at Marchesi di Gresy in Barbaresco. It is quite evident Grasso is much more passionate about working in the vineyards than in the cellar. One of the things that is most remarkable about these wines is that they were made with no modern-day technology whatsoever. There was little or no green harvesting done in the vineyards. The wines were fermented in cement, with no temperature control and skin contact that lasted several months. The malolactic fermentations occurred naturally and the wines were aged in large oak barrels. According to Grasso, his 1989s and 1990s turned out well because the vineyards were old at the time (ranging from 50-70 years of age) and because his vineyard workers were very seasoned (as is the case with agriculture in the US, today most of the work in Piedmont's vineyards is done by migrant workers). When the comprehensive history of Piedmont is finally written, a very special place will need to be reserved for Elio Grasso.
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