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By: John Downing | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/12/2019 | Send Email
Gianluca Grasso's 2015 single vineyard Barolos are certainly must-buys for Nebbiolo fans and his Casa Mate is sensational. It's a stunning combination of dense, perfectly ripe fruit, integrated tannins and bountiful acidity throughout. Although it's very showy today, it deserves time in the cellar to fully integrate.
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By: Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/8/2019 | Send Email
What I liked about this bottling is the broad drinking window. No doubt this is a big, powerful, hugely structured wine...but it also has lovely pure fruit, well refined tannins and most importantly - immaculate balance from start to finish. Sure it needs a good decant if you're drinking it young (I actually tasted this wine on day two) but there's plenty to enjoy now if you get thirsty!
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By: Keith Mabry | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/7/2019 | Send Email
The Casa Mate is the consummate Barolo. Filled with gorgeous floral notes and red fruit it has all the leathery tannins that keep this somewhat riper vintage at bay. This is a Barolo that will reward a little more time in the cellar but with a properly rich meal, would not disappoint in any way. A classic pure and simple!
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By: Kaj Stromer | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/7/2019 | Send Email
Oh my, this is another insane Barolo offering from Elio Grasso. There’s so much going on here it’s hard to know where to begin. The aromatics are intense, beguiling, and compelling. On the palate, the wine is structured, firm, and dense. This is prototypical Barolo of the highest order. I would strongly urge fans to squirrel a few bottles of this away for a several years. But, for those of your who are “Casa Mate” curious, three to four hours in a decanter alongside a giant slab of beef should work. But do save a few bottles for the future.
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By: Greg St. Clair | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/7/2019 | Send Email
Having just tasted this wine I think most of the reviewers got this wine in a juvenile, closed phase because this wine is singing! The delight of the 2015 vintage is the rich, sweet fruit that comes with the ripeness but there’s no hint of over ripeness, this wine is perfectly balanced. I do find it is always hard to taste these wines together because one always feels the need to say this one is better than that one, they really are both amazing but in really different ways. The nose of this wine is so inviting, it’s not a typical closed in Barolo behemoth it is enticing, full of dried figs, smoke, porcini…I could go on. The really enticing portion of this wine was on the palate, you might have had experience drinking Barolo where that first palate presence is shocking and makes your cheeks want to turn inside out, but not this wine OMG it is amazing. Supple, sweet tannins frame the outside of this wine allowing waves of flavors, a savory, umami rich roll starts it, then more forest floor, then smoke and truffle and back to the dried figs, I can’t think of another flavor for that than dried figs. Super balanced, exceedingly long, and incredible finish, yet all the talk of balance, supple and drinkable might make you think this wine is a short term wine but Oh No, this is a Barolo’s Barolo, long term, it is really special and is going to last a long, long time.
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By: Ryan Moses | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: 8/6/2019 | Send Email
Elio Grasso's Casa Mate hits the deeper notes of Ginestra in 2015 with savory red fruit, plum, and soy on an expressive nose. The texture is immaculate and pure, with a compact palate that builds on flavors of black cherry, licorice, all brightened up by a good streak of acidity.. Exceptionally fine tannins round out a wine that has a ton in reserve. This is one that will go the distance.
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