2008 Barolo Gavarini Chiniera

The 2008 Barolo Gavarini Vigna Chiniera is flat-out great. Sweet roses, spices, mint, flowers and red berries are some of the notes that emerge from this profound, utterly moving Barolo. The 2008 possesses dazzling inner perfume, endless layers of bright red fruit and stunning overall balance. Fine, silky tannins frame the extraordinarily elegant finish. This is a fabulous wine from Gianluca Grasso and his family. Chalky notes frame an energetic, brilliant finish sprinkled with shades of the 1989. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2033. I could feel my heart racing as I tasted Gianluca Grasso’s 2008s. Both 2008 Baroli are drop-dead gorgeous wines that capture the purest essence of hillside Monforte brilliance. The 2008s have begun to shut down since I first tasted them from bottle in November, 2011. The focus, length and sheer pedigree, however, have always been on full display. My advice? Buy the 2008s and forget about them for a good decade-plus. Two decades would be better. These remain some of the most fairly priced, ageworthy wines on the planet. Congratulations to the Grasso family for two monumental wines that embody everything that makes Barolo so magnificent. These are both must-have wines. Various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808; Langdon Shiverick Imports, Cleveland, OH; tel. (213) 483-5900; Classic Wine Imports, Norwood, MA; tel. (800) 862-4585; Admirality Beverage Co. Columbia Distributing Company, Portland, Oregon; tel. (503) 289-9600

Good bright, deep red. Knockout nose offers pungent flinty minerality, white pepper, rose petal and spices; at once explosive and pure. Wonderfully intense, sappy and spicy on the palate, with a suave, fine-grained texture and great perfumed, floral delicacy. I might have picked this blind as a Chambolle cru . Less plush than the Ginestra Casa Mate but wonderfully tight and vibrant on the back end, in need of extended cellaring.

Good bright, deep red. Knockout nose offers pungent flinty minerality, white pepper, rose petal and spices; at once explosive and pure. Wonderfully intense, sappy and spicy on the palate, with a suave, fine-grained texture and great perfumed, floral delicacy. I might have picked this blind as a Chambolle cru. Less plush than the Ginestra Casa Mate but wonderfully tight and vibrant on the back end, in need of extended cellaring. (ST) 94+