Elio Grasso Gavarini Chiniera Barolo 2016

Scores

98 / 100

"The Elio Grasso 2016 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is immediately expressive and bright. The wine is savory and rich with a generous bouquet of dried berries, spice, crushed flowers and even a hint of market-fresh blueberry that we don't see in the other wines. The bouquet moves toward balsam notes with mint and rosemary the longer it stays in the glass. I also get anise flower and fresh licorice root as a pretty signature on the close. With aging in large Slavonian oak casks, the tannic integration is spot-on and so is the freshness and purity of those beautiful Nebbiolo nuances"
- Monica Larner

97 / 100

"This fantastic, focused red opens with enticing scents of rose, woodland berry, forest floor and a balsamic whiff of camphor. It's full bodied and elegantly structured, delivering flavors of ripe morello cherry, raspberry compote, cinnamon and licorice before a hazelnut close. Firm fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity provide the framework."
- Wine Enthusiast

96 / 100

"The 2016 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera is a vibrant, massively tannic, austere wine, the likes of which I have never tasted here before. Vertical and explosive in the glass with tons of pure power, the 2016 Gavarini Chiniera is a gorgeous Barolo that is going to need a number of years to be at its best. Swaths of tannin wrap around a core of sweet red cherry fruit. White pepper, mint, orange peel and floral notes develop a bit later, but the 2016 remains reticent and inward, with brilliant acids and tannins that dominate today. The 2016 is a striking wine, but it is going to require considerable patience."
- Vinous

95 / 100

"A wonderfully floral red with strawberry, sliced-orange and floral character. Medium to full body with very integrated, fine tannins and a beautiful finish. So refined."
- James Suckling

Tasting Notes