Barolo Gavarini Chiniera, Elio Grasso 2021
Vinous 97 (2025); Decanter 96 (2024); James Suckling 95 (2025)
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Why this wine
One of Monforte d'Alba's reference single-vineyard Barolos, from a family that keeps forest rather than planting more vines. 2021 is rated among the finest recent Barolo vintages, and the critics scored this wine 95 to 97. A bottle to put away.
At a glance
- Grape
- Nebbiolo
- Region
- Piedmont, Italy
- Alcohol
- 14.50%
- Body
- Full
- Acidity
- High
- Tannins
- High
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Long (10-20 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Red Meat, Cheese
How it tastes
Crushed violets, red cherry and an earthy undertone on the nose. Powerful but finely drawn: supple tannins give it lift, and the finish runs long on black tea and liquorice. Nebbiolo 100%.
The producer
Elio Grasso walked away from a banking career in the 1970s to make wine from his family's vines in Monforte d'Alba, moved to 100% estate bottling and in 1978 released three single-vineyard wines — Gavarini Chiniera among them. His son Gianluca joined in 1995 and runs the estate today. Of its 45 hectares only 18 are planted; the rest is kept as forest and grassland rather than turned over to more vines. Gavarini Chiniera faces south at 400–450 metres on limestone and sand, with vines 35–45 years old farmed without chemical treatments. The wine spends 30–32 days on its skins and is aged in large 25-hectolitre Slavonian oak casks. In 2021 a wet winter, a long fine summer with cool nights and a late-September harvest gave small, healthy berries and wines of real structure and balance.
Food and drinking
Good with red meat, game, mushroom or truffle dishes and aged cheese. Built to age: critics place the drinking window from the late 2020s into the 2040s, so decant it if opening young. Serve at 16–18°C. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.