2021 Grasso, Elio - Barolo Casa Mate MAGNUM (1.5L)

The Grasso family has worked vineyards in Monforte d'Alba for more than a century, and today Elio Grasso and his son Gianluca farm 18 hectares planted to Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera, and a small amount of Chardonnay. Known for meticulous attention to detail in the vineyard, the family produces three distinct Barolo selections, with Ginestra Casa Maté standing as the more powerful and structured of their two flagship sites. Their style sits between the traditional and modern schools of Barolo, prized for wines that are both honest to their terroir and beautifully perfumed.

Casa Maté comes from a three-hectare, south-facing plot within the larger Ginestra vineyard, sitting at 300 to 350 meters on loose, clay-rich, calcareous soil. Because of its full southern exposure, this parcel is typically the first in the estate's holdings to bud and the first to be harvested, often around ten days ahead of the estate's other top site. Following fermentation in steel, the wine spends about 24 months aging in large Slavonian oak casks before a further eight to ten months in bottle.

The 2021 vintage shows intensely floral aromatics of rose and violet, unfolding into licorice, dark fruit, and balsamic notes. The palate is broad and powerful, with dense fruit, fine chalky tannins, and a long, spicy finish that reflects the site's richer clay soils and fuller exposure.