# Barolo Gavarini Chiniera (2018)

- **Producer:** Azienda Agricola Elio Grasso
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Nebbiolo
- **Region:** Piedmont, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.5%
- **Average price:** €89
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** red plum, rose, black cherry, red cherry, violet, blueberry, vanilla, cedar, cloves, tobacco, dried fruit, earth, leather, forest floor

## About this wine

Barolo Gavarini Chiniera from Azienda Agricola Elio Grasso is a 100% Nebbiolo wine from the Gavarini Chiniera vineyard in Monforte d'Alba, Barolo DOCG, Piedmont. The Elio Grasso estate is a family-run winery with a history of pioneering estate-bottling, emphasizing minimal intervention and vineyard expression. The Gavarini Chiniera vineyard is noted for its distinctive amphitheater shape. The 2018 vintage, despite being challenging, is recognized for producing a wine with notable elegance and structure.

## Interesting facts

- Gavarini Chiniera vineyard is shaped like an amphitheater.
- Elio Grasso was an early adopter of estate-bottling in Barolo.
- The 2018 vintage presented challenges but yielded a refined wine.
- Uses large, neutral Slavonian oak barrels for aging.

## Food pairing

The wine's structure, particularly its tannins and acidity, makes it an excellent companion for rich, protein-heavy dishes. Tannins bind with proteins in meat, softening the wine and enhancing the savory flavors of the food. The wine's complexity can stand up to and complement robust flavors like those found in mushrooms, truffles, and aged cheeses.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process for Barolo Gavarini Chiniera begins with a manual harvest in early October. Alcoholic fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, utilizing natural yeasts and daily pumping over. Maceration on the skins extends for 20 days post-fermentation. The wine then ages for approximately 13 months in large, neutral Slavonian oak barrels (25-hectolitre). Following this, it spends 8-10 months in the cellar before release.