It is tempting to refer to Azienda Agricola La Briccolina as a “rising star,” because as a commercial wine brand, it is—Tiziano Grasso and family only debuted their namesake Barolo in 2012, despite being the longtime stewards of one of the greatest
cru vineyards in the hamlet of Serralunga d’Alba. Grassos have lived atop the “Briccolina” vineyard since the 1920s, but for generations they sold their prized Nebbiolo grapes to some big-name neighbors. But now, Briccolina’s best old-vine fruit, from vines averaging more than 50 years of age, is reserved for today’s tiny-production bottling.
Both Tiziano Grasso and his son, Daniele, have worked with some of Barolo’s greatest producers, so they’re hardly upstarts in the Barolo wine business: To say they hit the ground running in 2012 would be a gross understatement, and, needless to say, I was once again blown away by the perfume, persistence, and impeccable detail of today’s 2014. Barolos from Serralunga are known for their ferocious power, but La Briccolina wines thus far have been marked by a level of finesse I didn’t think was possible here. This is a refined, conversation-piece Barolo for those of you who follow this region closely, and just a damn fine bottle of cellar-worthy red wine for all the rest. Very little is produced, therefore we only have a small quantity to share: Just six bottles per customer until our yearly allocation disappears!
What Tiziano and Daniele Grasso have done at La Briccolina is akin to a long-established grower in a Burgundy Grand Cru deciding to craft some of his own wine. As noted above, there’s nothing new about the La Briccolina farm, just the label. The Grasso family house is perched on the Briccolina vineyard, above a perfect south-facing amphitheater of vines that eventually tilts westward, as so many Serralunga crus do. Briccolina is situated along an undulating slope that also includes “Ornato” (made famous by Pio Cesare) and “Falletto” (Bruno Giacosa), and for many years the Grassos sold their fruit to others, while Tiziano worked at Fontanafredda. Starting in 2012, Daniele Grasso made strict selection from the family’s 5.5 hectares, sourcing from 50-year-old Nebbiolo vines to craft about 3,000 bottles. Not only is this wine a gem, it’s a rare one—perhaps as time goes on, Daniele will keep more of the fruit for himself, but as of now, less than a hectare’s production goes into the Tiziano Grasso bottling.
This is a ‘traditional’ style of Barolo in the sense that is was aged two years in large (20-hectoliter) Slavonian oak botti, but this wine stood out as an exceptionally refined, polished example of Serralunga Barolo. Conventional wisdom on this village is that it produces the burliest, most tannic wines in the region, but this wine carries its considerable power with grace: the tannins are extremely fine-grained and the fruit flavors clean and perfumed.
In the glass, La Briccolina’s 2014 is a deep, reflective garnet moving to pink and a hint of orange at the rim, with highly perfumed nose of black and red cherry, black raspberry, plum, blood orange peel, pipe tobacco, fresh roses and violets, underbrush, and freshly turned earth. Whereas many Serralunga Baroli can be forbiddingly tannic, even a little monolithic, in their youth, this is notably bright and lifted in personality. As I noted in my writeup of the 2012, the Grasso wines channel some of the Serralunga bottlings of the late, great Bruno Giacosa (not bad company to be in). If you’d like to enjoy some soon, decant it at least an hour before serving in large Burgundy stems at 60-65 degrees with some veal or lamb chops. But be sure to also cellar some of this wine for the payoff it promises in 15-20 years’ time—an ethereal beauty awaits!
