The first stop on that new day was at Silvio Grasso in Annuziata, frazione of La Morra.
We were greeted by Marilena, wife of Alessio Federico Grasso who now runs the cantina. We were given a short tour of the facility and watched Alessio Federico and his sons, Silvio and Paolo, bottle some of the 2011 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass (translates as "big stones" because of the rocky nature of the vineyard). More on this wine later in this post.
The first wine offered was the 2012 Nebbiolo Langhe, 14.5% alcohol. This bottle had been open for 24 hours. The wine was quite acidic which pushed the fruit into the background. It had spent three months in used barrique. As we aerated the wine, the fruit came into the foreground. We consider the wine ready to drink. Euro 9 per bottle.
The second Nebbiolo was the 2011 Nebbiolo d'Alba, 13.5% alcohol. The bottle was opened for us. The wine has strong fruit taste with light acids. We believe the wine needs 1-2 years in the cellar. Euro 10 per bottle.
All of the following Barolos were opened for us.
First was the 2010 base Barolo, 14% alcohol. Good fruit, nice Barolo nose, high acid, we think it needs six plus years in the cantina to be ready to drink. Euro 24 a bottle.
Second was the 2010 Barolo Giachini, 14.5% alcohol. Big tannins, good fruit and acid. In our opinion, it needs four to five years in the cellar to come around. Euro 27 a bottle.
Next was the 2010 Barolo Turne`, 14.5% alcohol. The fermentation process for this wine was lengthened to 40 days on the skins of the grapes with no control over the fermentation temperature as is normal. This is an excellent example of the grape. It has heavy tannins with a muted fruit that will, in our opinion, begin to show itself after seven to eight years in the cellar. Euro 34 a bottle.
The fourth was the Barolo Bricco Luciani which is the area around the cantina. 14.5% alcohol, great fruit, good balance of tannins and acids with a muted nose that indicates to us that the wine needs at least ten years resting in the cellar. This is a great wine. Euro 34 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
The last, regretfully, was the 2010 Barolo Bricco Monzoni, an area around Monforte d'Alba. This area has the distinction of producing "big" Barolos that last a long time in the cellar. This one was no exception. It has an acidic nose with great fruit in the mouth. Nice balance with a subdued nose. You could drink this now or put it in your cellar behind the Luciani to drink when the Luciani is finished. Euro 37 a bottle, purchased to put behind the Luciani in our cellar!
About the 2011 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass...we asked to taste the wine they were bottling and was given a glass full. One word describes it...spectacular! We ordered six bottles of it for delivery when they are rested and labeled. They will go very fast according to Marilena. If you want them, call the cantina!
26 October 2014 Today was a special day...fall has practically finished here and it seems like winter is not too far behind so we barbecued some of the last vegetables from the garden, some of the potatoes we planted in the orchard and some chicken wings that we had marinated overnight in yogurt and tandoori spices. Seems like a difficult choice for a wine to go along with this lunch. We have one bottle of the 2004 Barolo Bricco Monzoni. We have wanted to see what the wine was like after being at rest for ten years (remember we have the 2010). It is not ready to drink. But, in all honesty, it is a spectacular Barolo. The perfect Barolo nose with a lot of acidity and fruit in the mouth. Highly recommended!!!
24 December 2015 We opened the first of our six bottles of the 2011 Peirass Nebbiolo thinking that it would be ready to drink or at least getting there. We were incorrect. It is very good but we believe that with time (at least another year), it will be much better. Put your 2011 Peirass Nebbbio back in the cellar again. Paolo told us that it must sit at least until 2019-2020.
5 September 2016 After the La Morra degustazione, we made our regular trip to Silvio Grasso. We were able to talk to Marilena, Silvio and Paolo. Alessio Federico was resting, preparing for the upcoming vendemia (picking of the grapes. Marilena and Silvio were labeling magnums so Paolo talked us through the 2012 Barolos. First was the 2012 Turne` (the 2012 Giachini was already sold out). The Turne` is still in three parts (fruit, tannin and acid) as expected. It needs an extended period of time in your cantina. Euro 34 a bottle.
Second was the Turne` 2009. It is also still in pieces but coming along nicely.
Third was the 2012 Annunziata Vigna Plicotti, 14.5% alcohol. This is a very nice light, conversation Barolo which can be drunk now but will surely last for another ten years. We have marked the first opening for 2020. Euro 34 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
Next was the 2012 Bricco Luciani, 14% alcohol. While it is still in three pieces as noted above, we believe this will turn into a spectacular Barolo. We also believe that you should not disturb this Barolo for at least seven years, possibly more. Euro 34 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
Following the 2012 was the 2009 Bricco Luciani. This wine had been open for three days and had developed a Marsala taste.
The final wine was the 2012 Bricco Manzoni, 14% alcohol. This vineyard has always been our favorite of their offerings. It had been opened the morning that we visited (approximately four hours before). The wine has light acids and great tannins and fruit. Give the wine another ten years in your cellar. Euro 37 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
23 October 2016 Sitting in the back of our cellar for sometime was a magnum (1.5L) of 2003 Silvio Grasso L'Andre Barolo. We do not remember where we got it but it was there just waiting for the right occasion and enough people to drink it. Our friends from Agriturismo La Mussia had called the week before and asked us to come for lunch to answer some questions about a trip they were taking to California. Not a better excuse to open it!! The menu that Carla prepared was a chicken/celery salad, deviled eggs, baked trout and oven baked potatoes. Laura opened a bottle of a local Arneis before we sat down. We were wondering if the wine might be past its prime and considered taking other Barolos with us but we threw caution to the wind and stuck with the L'Andre. When we opened it, the cork broke off. Not a big deal but took a little extra coaxing to get the half cork out of the bottle. We smelled it and took a small amount into a glass to ensure it was ok. The wine was perfect, just at the right age to drink (remember this was a magnum that takes at least twice the time to come around because of the size of the bottle). It turned out to be quite light, not the big Barolos that we normally drink. It went very well with the meal. Laura's husband Claudio is a grape grower (barbera and chardonnay) and he thought it was perfect also. Now we have to find more magnums to add to our collection!!
4 September 2017 In the days after the 1st Sunday in September tasting in La Morra, we usually make the rounds of our favorite wineries/cantinas to see what they have accomplished in the past year. On Monday the 4th, we made our second stop of the day at Silvio Grasso. Paolo was in front of the tasting room to greet us. His mother Marilena joined us later. We also saw Paolo's brother Silvio during the tasting. We tasted six of their Barolos, two from 2009 and 4 from 2013. We own most of their 2010 and 2012. We did not buy 2011 from anyone.
First poured was the 2015 Langhe Nebbiolo. It had spent three months in used barrique. It was opened two days previously. Quite good.
The first was the 2013 Bricco Manzoni. 14% alcohol. Opened on the 2nd of September. It was almost ready to drink after being open for two days previously. We would think that it would need at least five years before opening a bottle. Euro 30 a bottle.
Next was the 2013 Bricco Luciani, 14% alcohol. Opened for us. Good tannins, fruit acids. Have patience with this one. We think that it needs at least 8 years resting. Euro 24 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
Third was the 2012 Vigna Plicotti. This was opened also on the 2nd of September. The fruit was starting to fade, tannins are still quite strong. This is a wine that if you open it, drink it that day. If you do not open it, leave it in your cellar for another three to four years.
Next was the 2013 Vigna Plicotti. This was also opened on the 2nd of September. Has a very nice nose and the typical hard tannins for this vineyard. Paolo had warned us that the wine needed more than the usual time in the cellar for the tannins to even out. We estimate up to 15 years of rest before opening. Euro 24 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
Last was the 2013 Turne`. Opened for us. In the past, we had not been big fans of this vineyard. However, the 2013 is another story. We found balanced fruit and tannins in this wine. It is very good now but we are going to leave this in our cellar until 2027. Euro 24 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
We did reserve a case of the 2015 Peirass Nebbiolo to pick up sometime during the winter. This is a wine that is sold out before it is even bottled. If you find it, try this great Nebbiolo. But remember, read the notes about the 2011 above. It needs a long time in the cellar!
26 May 2018 Before we went to Io, Barolo last evening, we stopped at Silvio Grasso to get our case of the 2015 Peirass Nebbiolo. We also had a bottle of wine that Paolo wanted to try from our friends at Ferrero. Of course, Paolo asked if we wanted to try the Nebbiolo and of course, we wanted to. What a spectacular wine! It is one of the best examples of the grape we have tasted for many years. In fact, Paolo said that he had two cases if we wanted them. We took them both. Euro 22 a bottle. We suggest that you leave the 2015 for about five years before opening one. We also had the opportunity to taste the 2014 base Barolo. Base Barolo is a combination of grapes from a number of vineyards rather than the single vineyard wines that we 99% of the time purchase. 2014 was a wet year so the grapes do not have a lot of taste and they were late in ripening. However, the 2014 from Silvio is a very nice wine. Give it two or three years in your cellar and it should be very nice for a lightly spiced meal. Euro 24 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
5 October 2018 Today is the eighth anniversary of Natalya coming to Italy. We decided to make a trip up to La Morra to see our friends at Silvio Grasso and taste some of the 2014 offerings that were not available when we were there in May. Marilena was waiting for us and asked if we could do some translations for her since she does not speak any English and Paolo and Silvio had other groups to take care of. She also told us that they had made a decision that the single vineyard wines from 2014 were not good enough to bottle as single vineyard wines. We had purchased this in May when we were at the cantina the last time. So, they have a large number of bottles of the base Barolo at attractive price. We have tasted that and find it good for a lightly spiced meal. She also opened a bottle of the 2011 Barolo that celebrates Alessio Federico's retirement. The wine uses grapes from the 2011 vintage and is quite good. It is actually a Riserva which means that it spent five years in wood before being bottled. Each bottle has Alessio Federico's signature on it. We recommend it also. It is quite good and should rest in your cellar for at least four years before being opened to try. We also ordered some bottles of their 2016 Barbera d'Alba, some of the new Nebbiolo and the 2011 Riserva noted above. We will pick these up during the winter.
19 February 2019 We had kind of a day off from running the farm so we decided to go to La Morra and see our friends at Silvio Grasso. Marilena was there, Silvio and Paolo were in the vineyards pruning the vines. It was a quite nice day. We also had a box of Barbera d'Asti for Marilena. She had asked if we could bring her some as it is not available in La Morra. Since we were there, we were invited to taste the 2015 Barolos that had just been released. All wines noted here had been opened for 24 hours prior to our arrival. Estimates of when the wines would be ready to drink take this into account. One thing we will say about the 2015 Barolos from this producer. Normally, we would think that you can put their Barolos for at least ten years before drinking them. However, the 2015 seems to be ready a little sooner. Give them five years and then see how they are maturing.
Before the Barolos, she brought out a bottle of the 2016 Peirass Nebbiolo that did not even have a label on it. There was some writing that indicated what it was but the labels had not been printed yet. This is a spectacular wine even at this young age. The nose is deep and evident of the grape. The mouth shows acid and tannin which should become part of the wine as it ages. Give it three years in the cellar, euro 22 a bottle. Purchased for our cellar.
First Barolo was the 2015 base (a mixture of grapes from a number of vineyards). Nose was slightly off as a new wine should be. We estimate three to four years before you should open this. Euro 24 a bottle.
Second offering was the 2015 Giachini. This vineyard does not belong to the cantina but it is rented by them for the grapes. Very tannic with a light nose and mouth. We were intrigued by the wine since it had never been available to us prior to this year. Euro 30 a bottle, purchased for our cellar. We will give it 3-5 years before trying it.
Next was the 2015 Turne`. We had never been fans of this wine but this is another that is usually sold out before we visit in September. We have purchased it once but this year, will not. It has a very fruity Barolo nose with the mouth light and quite tannic. Euro 34 a bottle. We recommend 2-3 years before opening it.
Fourth was the 2015 Plicotti. This wine has a spectacular, big Barolo nose. It is acidic with light tannins which start to soften during the time in the glass. We believe the wine needs 5 to 7 years before it is ready to drink. Euro 34 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
Next was the 2015 Luciani. A light nose with a very tannic mouth and the fruit beginning to show. We estimate that it will take 5-6 years before it is ready to drink. Euro 34 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
Last Barolo was the 2015 Manzoni. Good Barolo nose with great fruit, light acids and tannins. Probably 4-5 years of rest required. Euro 36 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
The last wine to be tasted was the 2017 Nebbiolo. The bottle we tasted from was a half bottle, opened for us. We are big fans of their Nebbiolos. We have quite a number of bottles in our cellar. This wine is very good. Ready to drink now but will last at least another four years. Euro 9 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
30 June 2019 We opened a bottle of the 2017 Langhe Nebbiolo to see how it was coming along. We served it with faraona (guinea hen) and oven roasted potatoes. The wine is not ready to drink. It has all the pieces but they are still standing apart from one another. Give it another year, maybe two.
8 December 2019 As some of may have gleaned, we are great fans of the wines of Silvio Grasso. Today, we ventured and opened a bottle of their Barolo, the 2009 Bricco Luciani, the only one of this vintage in our cellar. When we had originally tasted it, I had said that it would be ready in this time period. Well, I was short a year or even more. While there was absolutely nothing wrong with the wine, it needs more time. The wine was very tannic with balanced fruit and acid. The year previously mentioned or even longer would make the wine more approachable. In any case, we served it with a zucca soup and Natalya's blini with potatoes and porcini mushrooms.
29 March 2020 Today we opened a bottle of the 2017 Langhe Nebbiolo from this producer. We served it with a chicken Milanese cooked on lime leaves from one of our fruit trees and basmati rice. Also served with a green salad from our garden (yes, fresh from the garden). While the wine is quite good now, we believe it needs at least another year in the cellar before we open another one. Patience, people!
10 May 2020 For lunch today, we opened a bottle of the 2011 Peirass Nebbiolo. It is a spectacular wine. You may drink it now but in reality, it needs more time in the cellar. Our wine list indicates that it might be ready in December of this year but that is probably too soon. It is still in pieces but as we said, it is really good grape juice. It has heavy tannins, good fruit and a light acid. It was served with ground chicken and rice stuffed grape leaves, anchovies with a sauce of tuna and hazel nuts. Again, patience people!!
30 August 2020 Also for lunch, we opened another bottle of the 2011 Peirass Nebbiolo. Again, it is a spectacular wine even though it is not ready to drink. We have two bottles left. We have changed the "open date" to February of 2021 for the next bottle. Today we had Natalya's borsch, sauteed chicken breast slices and Turkish vegetable stew. Yesterday was my 75th birthday so we ate light.
7 September 2020 Today we made our yearly visit to Azienda Agricola Silvio Grasso. Of course, we are usually a lot earlier in the year but we were locked down by Covid-19 and were unable to travel. Silvio and Paolo were on their way to a customer to deliver wine so we got a chance to have a short conversation with them. And, as usual, we were greeted by Marilena. Except for one bottle, the wines were opened for us. Since there are a number of wines to write about, we will do it piecemeal so have patience, please.
The first wine presented was the 2019 Nebbiolo, 13.5% alcohol. As expected, mouth is in three pieces, should take a minimum of three years to come around. Purchased for our cellar.
Second was the only bottle that had been opened previously (on the 5th of September), the 2017 Nebbiolo Peirass, 14.5% alcohol. We really like this wine and have vintages going back to 2011. Marilena told us that they had opened a bottle of the 2003 recently that was very good. The mouth of the 2017 is very good, a spectacular wine that requires a minimum of 4 years to come around and allow the three pieces to get to know each other. Purchased for our cellar.
Next was the 2016 Barolo base. 15% alcohol. Beautiful Barolo nose, mouth in pieces as expected, needs five years minimum to come around.
The 2016 Barolo Giachini was next. It is not very often that they have the Giachini because it is so popular and gets sold out quickly. We got to taste and buy it probably because of the virus. It has a real Barolo nose, indications of vanilla, mouth in pieces, of course. Five years minimum. Purchased for our cellar.
2016 Turne` was next, 14% alcohol. This wine is produced in traditional manner. No small barrels are used, only large ones. Not a Barolo nose right away but it comes around after about five minutes in the glass. Given some time, this wine should be a very interesting addition to yours and our cellars. Purchased for our cellar.
The next Barolo was the 2016 Plicotti, 14.5% alcohol. A typical Barolo nose, complemented by a smooth mouth with an emphasis on the acids. You might drink it now but leave it for another three to four years to let the real wine settle down. Purchased for our cellar.
The 2016 Luciani was next, 14.5% alcohol. This wine was also opened on the fifth of September. A very hidden Barolo nose, with time in the glass, the nose showed a good acid flavor. We believe that this wine needs a minimum of ten years to become what the vintage is really about. Purchased for our cellar.
Next was the 2016 Manzoni, 14.5% alcohol. The nose gave indication of chocolate. It also shows a chocolate mouth, both of which disappeared quite quickly. This is a lighter Barolo but still needs a good deal of time to be who it really is. If you have patience, we recommend seven years before trying it. Purchased for our cellar.
Last, but surely not least, was a surprise. In the many years we have tasted and purchased wines from Silvio Grasso, we have never seen a riserva. However, Marilena brought out the 2013 Barolo Riserva. It is the first and from what she indicated, the last that they will make. It has a very good Barolo nose and mouth even at this early age. We expect to let it rest for at least ten years before opening a bottle. Purchased for our cellar.
21 January 2021 The wine was opened not for a spectacular Sunday lunch but what we call and ordinary lunch, this time on a Thursday. We are running out of wine that is ready to drink because of the lockdown so I thought a nine year old Nebbiolo, the 2011 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass might be a good wine for the sauteed chicken with dill, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed red potatoes and chicken soup. WRONG! The wine is a long way from being ready to drink. As good as it is now, it needs at least another three years before I would open the last of our bottles. Patience, patience!!
21 March 2021 Today was kind of a strange Sunday lunch. Yesterday, I got out my Chinese chef hat and made Kung Pao Chicken. Natalya called it our Sunday lunch for this week as she wanted to make pizza today...and she did. It was quite good other than she did not start our outdoor pizza oven soon enough to be able to cook it there. It was cooked in an oven in the house and was quite good. Along with the pizza, she made an Asian fantasia soup and a salad from our garden. Along with the lunch, I chose the 1917 Nebbiolo Langhe from Silvio Grasso. The wine, after a long wait (years), is started to be ready to drink. The pieces are all together giving it a wonderful nose and mouth. You may try a bottle now but the wine has at least another year or two to age. Nice grape juice!!
16 May 2021 Today we opened a bottle of the 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo. With it we served a saute of turkey slices, stuffed carciofi and mushrooms from Monalfunghi in Monale. A lighter wine for a light lunch. Recommended highly!
1 July 2021 For those of you that read our blog, you know that we make yearly trips to this producer to taste their wines. This year, we were late of course, due to the pandemic.
We were greeted by Marilena and Paolo on a very hot summer day in Roero. Paolo had suggested that we come early because of the heat and he was correct.
The Barolos served were from the 2017 vintage. 2017 was a very hot, dry year and therefore the wines are quite different. Some were not produced because the grapes were not up to the standards of the Cantina. Also, even I was a little confused by the wines. Normally, I can tell when the wine will be ready to drink on these visits. I am little concerned that my estimates, usually early rather than later, may be way off. We will see as the years pass.
All the wines on this day for opened for us.
First was the 2020 Nebbiolo, 13.5%. It has a very good Nebbiolo nose. The fruit is probably the main thing that you would taste even in the nose. The mouth is also a terrific example of the fruit. We think this wine can be drank now but if you have any doubts, read the paragraph just above. Purchased for our cellar.
Second was the 2018 Peirass Nebbiolo, 14%. This is a small area between two Barolo crus. Wines are extremely good and long lasting. This one has a deep Nebbiolo nose. The mouth is slightly acid but the fruit is there. It reminds me of a "baby" Barolo. Purchased for our cellar.
Next, we got into the Barolos. First was the Vigna Plicotti, 14.5%. A subdued Barolo nose although the mouth says it is almost ready (refer to paragraph above about this vintage). We estimate that anywhere between 3 and 5 years are required for the wine to reach the time to try it. Purchased for our cellar.
The second Barolo was the Turne`, 14%. Again, a subdued nose but this wine has a hard mouth leading us to believe that it needs 7-10 years before a bottle will allow you to open it. Purchased for our cellar.
Next Barolo was the Bricco Luciani, 14.5%. The nose is in pieces with an emphasis on the acid. However, as we worked the glass, it did open up some. Again, a hard mouth with an emphasis on acid. One thing about this wine is the color. The color reminds us of a very old Barolo. It is not the normal color as you would expect. Marilena said that it is because the grapes from that particular cru was facing the sun more than the others and the grapes were slightly "burned". We see no reason that after 8 to 10 years, the wine will be ready to drink with not a lot of color. Purchased for our cellar.
The last Barolo was the Bricco Manzoni, 14%. The nose has not shown itself at this time and the mouth is light. We believe that the wine should be just all the other vintages we have of this cru...a spectacular wine. Give it at least 4 years before trying it. Purchased for our cellar.
We also had the opportunity to taste a wine that eight producers had individually produced for charity. The wine from Alessio Federico Grasso is 40% Nebbiolo, 20% Barbera, 20% Cabernet and 20% Merlot. It is called L'insieme. If you have the opportunity, pick up a bottle. It is probably ready to drink now. We have two bottles in our cellar.
31 October 2021 Trick or treat!! In celebration of the holiday, we opened a bottle of the 2020 Langhe Nebbiolo for lunch today. The menu included stuffed zucca (pumpkin) from our garden, Natalya's borsch and sauteed bio sotto filetto chicken with pasta. Surprisingly, the wine is ready to drink. It went very well with the lunch she prepared. If you have bottles, try one!
30 December 2021 Pre new year's, Natalya made a sauteed zucca, angliotti with fontina cheese, spinach and ricotta and salad with spinach and onion with balsamic vinegar. Great wine, you can drink it now.
1 January 2022 Happy new year, fans!! The start of lunch was the lucky dish of the year: lentils with spinach with olive oil. Then, accughi with verdi, stuffed turkey breast. I opened a bottle of 2020 Langhe Nebbiolo. Went well but it does need another year and a half before it is really ready. In any case, great wine!
16 April 2022 Well, I could not wait to try another bottle of the 2020 Langhe Nebbiolo. Yes, it does need longer in the cellar. In any case, it went well with a series of deviled eggs with different spices. They were accompanied by a finocchio salad with chopped onion and lemon juice. Again, needs time. Let it rest!
26 May 2022 We made our annual visit to the Grasso family today to taste the 2018 Barolos and the 2019 and 2021 Nebbiolos. Paolo had a surprise for us which we will talk about later.
The first thing he poured was the 2021 Langhe Nebbiolo, 14%, opened for us. As usually, it is a very good example of the grapes and is one of our favorite Nebbiolos in our cellar. It had an acidic mouth when first tasted but leveled out quickly. The fruit was muted but as usual, it started to come out as the wine opened. We believe that it needs two years rest before opening. Purchased it for our cellar, euro 10 per bottle. If you are interested in this wine, call the winery before visiting to see if it has been bottled. It had been sold out when we were there.
Next was the 2019 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass, 14%, opened for us. This is a special Nebbiolo that comes from a certain vineyard and is aged more before bottling. It has a heavy fruit, spectacular nose even now. Euro 24 a bottle. Give it three to five years rest. Purchased for our cellar.
Next was the 2018 Barolo base, 14.5%, opened the 24th. It has a light nose with a slightly acidic mouth. Ready now to 2 years. Euro 25 a bottle.
2nd Barolo was the 2018 Turne`, 14%, opened the 23rd. Acid nose, no fruit as of yet, light mouth, but it is opening up as the glass is worked. Needs 2-3 years before opening. Euro 37 a bottle.
Next was the 2018 Annunziata Vigna Plicotti, 14.5%, opened the 23rd. Good acidic nose, light fruit at this point. A very good heavy mouth fruit is evident. Give it 5-6 years in your cellar. Euro 37 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
Fourth was the 2018 Bricco Luciani, 14.5%, opened the 24th. Slightly acid nose, light fruit. The wine is in pieces as of now. We are suggestion that the first bottle you should open will be somewhere around 6-7 years. Our mouth tells us that it may be 10 years before it is really ready to drink. Euro 37 a bottle, purchased for our cellar.
Before Paolo poured the 2018 Bricco Manzoni, he poured a glass of the 1999 (yes, 1999) Bricco Manzoni. It was opened the 25th. It is what all Barolo wants to be. It is a spectacular wine. I was still drinking Cabernet Sauvignon in California when it was made.
Now, the 2018 Bricco Manzoni, 14%, opened the 24th. The nose was heavy with fruit but little acid. The mouth was heavy fruit, little tannin and no acid. This is another wine that needs to rest in your cellar for a number of years. Try a bottle after six years but be prepared to wait for more. Euro 37 per bottle, purchased for our cellar.
29 August 2022 Today is my 77th birthday. And, it is a Monday. Monday's for us is chicken hamburgers with Michele's Barbera. But, you never get to be 77 twice so I got out what I believed to be a very good wine: the 2016 Silvio Grasso Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass. Our wine list said it was ready in July so we wanted to know whether or not my date of being ready was correct. It was! The wine, from the time I opened the bottle to the time the last drop was poured, was very, very good. We have five bottles more. Wish I had bought twelve instead of six. Drink it if you own it.
1 January 2023 We opened another bottle of the 2016 Silvio Grasso Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass for lunch today. The wine is ready to drink as written previously. Hope you all had a safe and sane New Year's!
13 May 2023 Do you have the Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass 2016? Try a bottle and then lock up the rest of them. There are no more in Europe. It is a spectacular wine. We have three left. We served one with a plate of pasta and our special sauce (grown and cooked by the two of us). It will have to be a spectacular meal to open another bottle. We will open a bottle of the 2015 next. Hope it is as good as the 2016.
3 June 2023 We opened three bottles of Nebbiolo today to determine how they are doing. The first was 2011 Silvio Grasso Nebbiolo Peirass. The wine is ready to drink. If you have more, we suggest that you put it on your menu. The next was the 2015 Silvio Grasso Nebbiolo Peirass. This wine needs to rest for another two years. We have a number of these bottles so we can experiment. The last was the Silvio Grasso 2017 Nebbiolo (not the Peirass!). This wine is ready to drink. This is a very light flavor wine and should be drank soon.
11 July 2023 For those of you that follow this blog, you know that we like Silvio Grasso's Nebbiolo Perirass a great deal. Today, we opened a bottle of the 2018. This was mainly to find out how the aging was going along. I made a Milanese chicken breast, sauteed potatoes from our garden and my Grandmother's tomato salad from our garden also. The wine is spectacular and it is ready to drink. We recommend that you taste it when you have the proper meal (it is a good tasting and big grape mouth). It should last for at least a year. It is very good wine!!
6 August 2023 Today, Natalya made Indian Sinohi Biryani Rice with chicken. I opened a bottle of the Silvio Grasso Langhe Nebbiolo 2017 to go with it. Not only was the rice spectular, the Nebbiolo was perfect for it. It had a good flavor that held up to the rice. The rice was served with a salad and sauteed potatoes and mushrooms. Try the 2017...it is very good!
12 September 2023 We had visitors from the US for a couple of days. She and I had worked together when we both lived in California. We opened the 1999 Silvio Grasso Magnum of Barolo and a bottle of the Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass 2016. Both were spectacular wines and gave them an idea of two different Barolos that had aged. She and her husband had come to visit us to attend some Barolo tastings but because of strikes and weather, the tasting was in our house. They brought us two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley which is impossible to find here.
6 October 2023 We wanted to find out how the 2019 Langhe Nebbiolo from this producer is going. We can tell you that the wine needs another 18 months before it is ready. Patience, my friends...
13 October 2023 For lunch today, we opened a bottle of the Silvio Grasso 2020 Nebbiolo. We served sauteed persico (a local fish) and sauteed potatoes. While the wine is not ready yet, it went well with the fish. Give the wine another 2 years.
21 October 2023 Most people would tell you to not serve red wine with a fish lunch. We disagree. On a Saturday, we served a bottle of the Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass 2016 (the last one we have) with a fish, sauteed potatoes and salad for lunch. Worked fine. No problems or not tasting the wine or the fish. The wine is ready to drink. Suggest that you open it now!
11 November 2023 Again, we are drinking a red wine with a fish lunch. And as the 13th, we had sauteed persico. The wine was the Langhe Nebbiolo 2018 from this producer. Went very well. Try it, you might find another dish to serve red wine from your cellar.
18 November 2023 For lunch today, we opened a bottle of the 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass for filet of Orata, sauteed potatoes and salad made for Rosanna's spinach. As usual, the wine went very well for lunch as well as being ready to drink. If you have the wine, we suggest that you try a bottle to see how it is coming.
17 December 2023 As you might guess, we have a plethora of the 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass. We opened a bottle for a lunch a Russian fish cake, a beet salad and a lettuce/spinach salad with olive oil from the town where my grandfather was born. The wine is drink. I would not wait to taste it if you have more one bottle.
3 January 2024 Another bottle of the 2018 Peirass today was opened for lunch. With this bottle, we left about 20% left to try it at dinner. We were sure that the wine is ready to drink. The wine had lost a lot of the flavor. We have 7 bottles left and will drink them during winter, no longer. Today was sauteed chicken breast over steamed saraceno. We started the lunch with Natalya's borsch and ended with a spinach salad from our friend, Rosanna.
12 January 2024 We have a few bottles of the 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass left. We think that they will not last very much longer so if you have one that you have not tried, do so! We will finish our 2018 before the summer arrives!
26 May 2024 We had another of our 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo Peirass with our lunch of chicken legs, sauteed potatoes and sauteed cabbage with spice. The wine is very good. If you have the time, let it sit open for twenty minutes before you pour it or pour the glasses the same amount of time before the people taste the wine. It is very good. FYI, a lot of people will think that you are pouring Barolo. The vineyard of Peirass is between two crus so it gets a good flavor from the area.
1 June 2024 The neighbors came over so I thought I would do a short vertical of Peirass. I got a bottle of the 2015 and one of the 2018. We had been drinking the 2018 for about a month. The 2015 was not ready to drink but I thought it would be a good idea to really find out if it was ready. Natalya had made some finger food that would go with the Nebbiolo. As I had thought, the 2015 still needs another two years but the 2018 is ready to drink. It is very nice!
6 August 2024 We opened a bottle of the Langhe Nebbiolo 2020 just to see what it is like. It is a very light Nebbiolo and will go most meals. Drink now.
8 August 2024 Again, taking a look at some of our older Barolo and decided to open a bottle of the Bricco Manzoni, 2015. It is a very good wine. It was opened for a light, hot August lunch. It is very good. We think it will very good with most lunch and dinners! Ready to drink.
25 August 2024 Lunch was dolma and mushroom soup. The wine was the 2015 Giachini. It went well but we believe that it must remain in the cantina for another one to two years. So, shall it be!
05 September 2024 I made my chili carni but we do not have the Mexican spices so I use Indian spices. Been doing so for some years. It works very good. The 2018 Peirass Nebbiolo was very good with the heavy spices. We have a few more of the 2018 so we will be having it within the next year.
12 September 2024 The 2019 Silvio Grasso Nebbiolo opened for lunch today. We have found that it is not ready to drink. Give it another two to three years.
27 September 2024 For Natalya's very good sauteed shrimp with pasta and sauteed vegetables from our garden. It is very good with the lunch. We suggest that you start drinking it as it is ready to drink. That bottle was our last!
30 October 2024 Today for lunch we had the next to the last of the 2018 Peirass Nebbiolo from Silvio Grasso. The wine is ready to drink. Better put it on your table as soon as you can!
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