2023 Bruna Grimaldi, Nebbiolo d’Alba “Bonurei” Piemonte, Italy.
This bright ruby, expressive fruited and nicely floral wine by Bruna Grimaldil is a 100% Nebbiolo gem sourced from vineyards on the border of the Barolo area, set on classic marl, fossilized rock, sand and mineral rich clay soils, which contribute to complexity, elegance and terroir distinction here. The youthful, but smooth full bodied palate shows off red currant, damson plum, strawberry and bramble berry fruits, along with crunchy, minty herbs and spices, delicate wilted roses, mineral, sweet cedar, a light earthiness and lingering anise. This easy to love Nebbiolo is a quite quaffable and has a good cut of acidity to lift everything up and it doesn’t feel as hefty as the 14.5% alcohol would suggest and it was excellent with range of hard cheeses and a grilled mushroom tart. This wine saw all sustainable grapes, with organic farming, crushed and de-stemmed into stainless steel vats where it was macerated and fermented for almost 20 days, after which it was pressed off to used large casks for close to 15 months, with botti and tonneaux oak being used.
The well respected Cantina Bruna Grimaldi is a small family-owned winery that has since the early 60s produced traditional, authentic and terroir-driven wines in Barolo’s Serralunga d’Alba area, though the modern estate has really become notable in the the late 1999s. The story here is that Bruna’s late uncle Giacomo Grimaldi started to sell his grapes in 1957, then her dad Giovanni Grimaldi produced their first wine in the 1960s, selling it by the liter. More recently Bruna Grimaldi and her husband Franco Fiorino have turned the old school family business into an elite label, since bottling their first wine in 1999. They have added significant vineyards and cru parcels to the collection and including a parcel in the coveted Bricco Ambrogio vineyard in Roddi, an exceptional, somewhat under the radar site. They now have ten hectares, which produces approximately 50,000 bottles a year, that all express the typical essence of the Langhe terroir, with Barolo, Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo d’Alba being the main focus. I got a chance to try this tasty Nebbiolo d’Alba, as well as the Camilla Barolo, which was outstanding as well, so I highly recommend these really solid Bruna Grimaldi, which I had only a limited experience with, offerings.
($28 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive