Silvio Grasso Barolo 2012

The 2012 Silvio Grasso Barolo exemplifies the juicy, seductive style of Barolo for which Federico Grasso and the finest Baroli wines of La Morra are renowned. In Grasso’s 2012 Barolo, one experiences a seamless design in which finesse and power play very well together, offering the thirsty imbiber plenty in the way of flavor as well as charm. The wine’s bright ruby/garnet robe first catches the eye, but it is this Barolo’s seductive bouquet that makes a truly auspicious first impression. Ripe, juicy red fruits, purple plums, rose petals, and savory spices all come to fore in this wine’s bouquet soon after pouring. In the mouth this wine reveals even more of its innate charm, as it comes across as expansive, layered, and quite supple and tender for young Barolo. With extended aeration, an even greater core of polished fruits, exotic spices, and lush forest woodlands emerges in the center of the wine. Although young and still in need of several more years in bottle to reach its apogee, the 2012 Silvio Grasso Barolo offers plenty to like already. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest opening the 2012 Silvio Grasso Barolo at least one to two hours ahead of serving as Barolo responds more favorably to aeration than almost any other wine (young Barolo can improve for up to 24 hours or more in a decanter). Our preference is to serve Barolo at cellar temperature (57º-62º F), but as you like. Enjoy!

Piemontese cooking is world-renowned, so it should come as no surprise that many traditional Piemontese specialties provide ideal accompaniments to Federico Grasso’s 2012 Barolo. A blend of rusticity and sophistication, Piedmont’s complex cuisine complements the region’s full-bodied wines with aplomb. Veal Tartare served with mushroom caps, shaved truffles or a hunk of well-aged Parmigiano in the company of a glass of Silvio Grasso Barolo may be one of the best ways to start or end a meal in Piedmont. If the thought of Veal Tartare is less than appetizing, consider instead Milk Fed Veal sautéed in a luscious brown sauce. Sautéed Rabbit with Peppers; Roast Duck, prepared with a cherry or blackberry sauce; or almost any full-flavored Piemontese risotto in the company of Federico Grasso’s 2012 Barolo can turn a meal into a veritable feast. So, whether you choose to serve simple food or sophisticated fare, Silvio Grasso’s 2012 Barolo should make you feel like royalty. Buon Appetito!

Silvio Grasso is a small family run estate that specializes in Piemonte’s most important red grape varieties: Barbera and Nebbiolo. Located in the Barolo commune of La Morra, this estate has been making Piemontese classics since 1927. However, in the last decade this property’s star has risen sharply and continues to ascend, thanks to the guidance and passion of its present guardian Federico Grasso, who manages both the vineyard and the cellar by himself. He is a proponent of the “new style” of Barolo and also an ardent advocate of seductive, barrel aged Barbera.

Federico is first and foremost a master craftsman with Piemonte’s most important grape variety, Nebbiolo, and the region’s greatest wine, Barolo. He fashions several exceptional Baroli, including single vineyard crus from southwestern facing vineyards on the slopes of La Morra. Grasso also produces a single vineyard Barbera d’Alba Fontanile, one of Piedmont’s finest Barbera wines, which provides ample testimony to the benefits of barrel aging and Federico Grasso’s deft touch in the cellar. In addition to his exceptional Baroli and Barbera vineyard selections, Federico Grasso fashions an intriguing non cru wine called L’Insieme, an increasingly popular blend of Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Nebbiolo. As a member of the L’Insieme Association, Silvio Grasso is entitled to use the name “L’Insieme,” which means together. L’Insieme blends two traditional red Piemontese grape varieties, Barbera and Nebbiolo, together with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to showcase the infinite possibilities of Piemontese viticulture.

Barolo has affectionately and appropriately been referred to as the “king of wines, and the wine of kings.” In the hands of a skilled winemaker, Barolo is unquestionably a noble wine, richly deserving of the many accolades that have been bestowed upon it. It is born on the Langhe Hills of Italy’s Piedmont, steep craggy Alpine foothills that seem to tumble out of nearby Switzerland.

Barolo is the most masculine of Piedmont’s three great Nebbiolo wines (Barbaresco and Gattinara are typically lighter and more delicate) and the focal point in the region’s viticultural tiara. The limited production of Barolo generates from the huddled hills of two valleys, Serralunga and Barolo, and their five principal communities, all of which lie to the southwest of the city of Alba and are reputed to impart distinctive characteristics and traits to their respective progeny. The townships of Serralunga, Castiglione Falletto, and Monforte are situated in the Serralunga Valley and are reputed to produce the region’s firmest, longest-lived Baroli. Meanwhile, Barolo and La Morra, from which the more “delicate” wines of the zone are said to flow, are part of the Barolo Valley. However, there are many variations in Barolo on the same theme, and this hardly takes into account the decades old debate in Barolo over the relative merits of the modern versus traditional styles of Barolo, which have as much to do with individual winemaking techniques as they do the amount and kind of barrel aging the wines receive. In the end, great Barolo is fashioned in all five of the major townships.