2021 Bruna Grimaldi, Barolo DOCG “Bricco Ambrogio” Piemonte, Italy.
Over the last couple of years I’ve been able to really get to know the lineup at Bruna Grimaldi and I have fallen in love with the Bricco Ambrrogio Barolo and this dark ruby/brick hued 2021 is a beautiful version, young and firm, but already showing so much charm, purity and poise. The full bodied palate, when it fully opens, shows off brilliant layers of red berry reduction, damson plum, kirsch and strawberry fruits, along with black licorice, candied orange peel, piney tar, cedary spices, earthy truffle and rose incense, all framed with a nice cut of acidity and the velvety grip of tannin. The Nebbiolo grapes are harvested by hand and carefully sorted both in the vineyard and in the cellar before the clusters, that are all fully de-stemmed are gently crushed. Fiorini uses a cool temperature controlled fermentation with, as he notes, a long skin contact maceration that lasts 20-30 days, sometimes employing a submerged cap for perfect extraction of color and structure. The primary ferments of the must happen in a combination of stainless steel and concrete, after which the Nebbiolo gets aged and matured in large Slavonian oak Botti for between 24 and 30 months. The Cantina Bruna Grimaldi produce an excellent set of Barolo offerings, as well as a delicious collection of varietal Langhe bottlings, including Arneis, Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo, all of which are sublime values.
The Grimaldi family, I learned, has been in the Barolo business since 1957, but the modern version of this property really got started as a producer of fine wine with Bruna Grimaldi in 1990 and this label has gained a solid reputation over the last two decades. Now, winemaker Franco Fiorino crafts these wines with a passion for transparency and precision, as this pretty Bricco Ambrogio shows with a clarity of purpose, it delivers Classico Nebbiolo layers and highlights the vintage’s charm and substance very well indeed. Fiorino says, the Bricco Ambrogio is a Barolo of great elegance, which I can confirm with a satiny ripe profile, the vineyard set on blue Marls (clay and limestone) has a perfect exposure to the sun and a hot microclimate where Nebbiolo clusters are always picked a bit earlier, giving polished tannins, while retaining a good natural acidity. Going on, the winery adds that this Barolo is distinct with warm feel and has an open nose that is beautifully floral, tending towards ripe red fruits and spices notes. The 2021 Bricco Ambrogio, which I had in three different tastings, in San Francisco, New York and Chicago, with Massanois, the importer, as well as with a meal in New York, again at Lavagna. This latest release really shined, making it a personal favorite, drinking very well even now, and is almost the equal of the fabulous 2016 vintage I had back in 2022, and I highly recommend searching it out. A big thank you to Simone Fiorino for showing me this wine and Lavagna for the amazing meal to bring out its best qualities!
($50 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive