Sometimes, writing these offers makes me feel like “that guy”—the one who gets all jazzed up about some album, or book, or television show, and won’t stop broadcasting it to all his friends. But I’m not going to apologize for again making a pitch for the exquisite “Briccolina” Barolo from Tiziano Grasso: it is the most exciting Italian wine discovery I’ve come across in years.
This 2015 is just the fourth vintage of this wine, but its source vineyard has been farmed by the Grasso family since the 1920s. They live right there on the site, in fact, and have for generations. Up until very recently, they sold their precious grapes to other producers, but when Daniele Grasso, son of Tiziano, came on the scene, he decided the time was ripe for a Barolo with the Grasso name on it—and when your backyard is literally a ‘grand cru’-equivalent vineyard, you can do so with total confidence. I’ve been tracking this wine since its first commercial vintage (2012), and “confident” is indeed an apt word for it. The label may be relatively “new,” but this family and this vineyard are as steeped in Barolo history as any. It’s no wonder they’ve achieved real greatness right out of the gate, with an assist in today’s case from the exceptional 2015 vintage. I know it’s annoying, but I’m coming at you today like that friend of mine who wouldn’t let up until I watched “Breaking Bad.” Having since done so, I’m so grateful he kept at it—as I will continue to do on behalf of La Briccolina. It is an absolute must!
Grown in the Barolo village of Serralunga d’Alba, which is known for Barolo’s most brooding and powerful expressions of the Nebbiolo grape, Grasso’s stands out for its elegance. It comes from 50-year-old vines in the “Briccolina” vineyard, one of the greatest cru-designated sites in Serralunga d’Alba. It’s a south-facing amphitheater that eventually tilts westward, as so many Serralunga crus do, with Grasso’s parcel situated along an undulating slope that also includes “Ornato” (made famous by Pio Cesare) and “Falletto” (Bruno Giacosa). Both Tiziano and Daniele Grasso held/hold “day jobs” at other Barolo wineries (Tiziano worked at Fontanafredda; Daniele at Batasiolo), but, starting in 2012, Daniele made a strict selection from the family’s 5.5 hectares, reserving his best Nebbiolo 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 “Briccolina” bottling.
This is a ‘traditional’ style of Barolo in the sense that it was aged two years in large (20-hectoliter) Slavonian oak botti, but it does stand out as an exceptionally refined, even polished example of Serralunga Barolo. Conventional wisdom on this village is that it produces the burliest, most tannic wines, but this wine carries its considerable power with grace: the tannins are extremely fine-grained and the fruit flavors clean and perfumed. When people talk about the kinship between top-quality single-vineyard Barolo and Premier/Grand Cru red Burgundy, this is the kind of wine they’re referring to.
In the glass, La Briccolina’s 2015 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. The generosity of mid-palate fruit is a gift from the warm 2015 vintage, but that’s not to say there isn’t the characteristic structure and nerve for aging—quite the opposite. The wine’s impeccable balance will only work in its favor over the next 10-15 years, as it loosens up and broadens across the palate. As with the many other ‘15s we’ve offered this year, my advice is to enjoy a few now (60 minutes in a decanter and the wine is singing) and lay some down. At 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems, paired with game birds, beef, or some of the earthy root vegetables that will soon be in season, you cannot ask for a more spot-on Barolo experience—or a more affordable “collectible.” If you love Barolo, it needs to be on your radar! Enjoy!
