- And Prices Don't Change
- And That's When You Stock Up
- Today Is One of Those Days...Big Time
2016 Tomaso Gianolio Barbaresco
- Nose: Beautiful, Pure Fresh Cherry, Licorice, Herbs, Smoke
- Palate: Dark Cherry, Spectacular Density
- Echoing Hints of Licorice
- Stunningly Fresh
- Lovely Anise Internal Aromatics
- Absolute Special Occasion Wine for $29.99 (Case Pricing)
- If You Buy Enough, You Can Drink Cases of This Over the Next Decade and Be Thrilled Every Time
2016 Vintage
- Jancis Robinson Calls It a Game Changer (See Quote Below)
- Stunning Transparency
The Brilliance of 2016 Barbaresco Continues: Under $30 Case Pricing for a Stunningly Elegant and Dense Wine
2018 Tomaso Gianolio Dolcetto d'Alba
- Classic, Old School Dolcetto
- One of the Most Drinkable Wines We Sell
- Classic, Blueberry and Blackberry Fruit
- You Know You Don't Eat Magret and Discuss Proust Every Night
- Some Nights It's Pizza and TV - This is THE Wine for That
- Just Pure Delicious Joy ... La Dolce Vita
- $17.99 each on a 4 pack - Crazy Value
"With the 2016 vintage, Barbaresco has catapulted itself to the very top of Italian fine wine. A conclusion that forcefully pressed itself upon me, and which came as a total surprise, after having tasted 122 wines earlier this month. The vintage has turned out an almost embarrassing number of great wines, not unlike 2010 and 2013, but the 2016s are potentially greater. It is my firm belief that 2016 could be a total game-changer for the region, ...There's a transparency that gives a clear indication of what Barbaresco is stylistically about and one that can no longer be ignored, especially by Barbaresco producers themselves.. " Walter Speller, Jancis Robinson
Tomaso Gianolio
Tomaso Gianolio is, at present, about as under the radar as it gets. I absolutely adore his wines. He is the epitome of the Fass Selections style: integrated wood, acidic balance, aromatics, structure and juiciness. He made wonderful, possibly brilliant wines in a very difficult 2014 vintage. But in 2015 he was handed a great vintage and he hit ... it ... out ... of ... the ...ballpark. And in Barbaresco, he did it again in 2016. I'm not talking an opposite field dinger that snuck over the opposite field fence. I'm talking a full on Giancarlo Stanton 121 mph exit velocity bomb.
The Prices
I just hooked up Davide a few years back with a UK distributor who was blown away by these wines. He carries Ceretto, Le Machioche and Egon Muller to name a few. He could not believe how great these wines were for almost no money. The guy has one of the top palates I know of and is a great taster.
The Wines
And now for the main event, the 2016 Tomasso Gianolio Barbaresco for $31.99 each on a 4 pack
purchase and a special case price of $29.99. This is maybe the most ridiculous Langhe value offer we will ever sell. Don't listen to your cheap-o-meter. This is 100%legit real deal classic Barbaresco that is as authentic and stunningly delicious as it gets. And in 2016 it is stunningly ridiculous. This is just a wow wine that is drinking really well now but will be incredible in 3-4 years. I know that it sounds borderline cheesy but you can taste the hand of the winemakers and the effort put into the bottle. It's almost got a Barolo-like vibe to it in 2016.
The nose just has that beautiful, pure fresh cherry, cherry flower, licorice thing going on. The fruit on the nose is almost sweet but not quite. It balances that line so perfectly. It's a whirling dervish of insane cherry fruit. Also lots of herbs and complex smoke aromas. Just insane aromas that really come together after an hour. Really really fine and aromatic. Such precision in the aroma. Superb, vivid and such profound aromas you are shocked this is a $30 Barbaresco. It is not possible. Like this is also enjoyable as a perfume aside from its value as a beverage. It is stunningly intoxicating and I really can't say enough about it.
The palate is really deep cherry fruit with absolutely perfect balancing acidity. But what sets this apart and what sets 2016 apart is the freshness and energy. The wines are just perfect and so easy to drink yet so noble, fresh and energetic. The fruit in 2016 is so sweet, so dense, so deep and so crunchy. It's dark cherry and mid season black cherry versus more red and sour cherries for the 2014, for example. Epic. It's big and dense with an amazingly deep yet silken structure and insanely fresh. Stunning purity and juiciness. Hint of licorice echoes to add even more complexity. The really great winemakers in the Langhe just do a great job of getting that razor's edge fruit/acid balance and with the higher temperatures in the Langhe, let me assure you that this is not easy. Some serious, serious juiciness here with lovely anise internal aromatics that again are devastatingly fresh. The internal floral and fruit aromas just assault your palate as you swish. Really, really elegant.
The finish is fantastic. So persistent and mouth-coating. There is a terrific presence of lingering licorice. There are some serious silky tannins that provide the structure for at least 10-15 years of ageing. This tastes like if really good single vineyard 1er Cru Burgundy were made from Nebbiolo. Think one of the more elegant Gevrey 1er Cru's like Lavaux St. Jacques or Les Goulots: Just a wonderful, well made, terroir-driven, aromatic wine. Aged 20 months in large Slavonian oak casks. This is an absolute steal.
Up next I have the wine I spent too much time on but was so worth it as it is a spectacular example of a wine I adore when done right and that is the 2018 Tomaso Gianolio Dolcetto d'Alba for $17.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This is lights out Dolcetto. I loved it so much I made Davide open an older vintage a few years back (2012) and I geeked out comparing both of them for 40 minutes. I had the Dolccetti with stuffed peppers with tuna that were insane with this I'm more of a wine guy than a food guy but Dolcetto and food is just isnane. This Dolcetto, getting back to it, really floored me. Almost a Gamay-like nose. Nice grapiness with loads of spice and vibrant and super vivid black cherry with classic Dolcetto blueberries. Huge fruit on the nose and backed up on the palate with terrific balance and ridiculous juicy and impressive complexity. Delicious blueberry fruit that really spreads about on the palate. Of course, in the Gianolio style, you have that balancing acidity so the wine is just uber fresh and juicy. There is very attractive and chewy persistence. Nice ripe and juicy tannins. Really persistent and pumps on the finish. Balance is unreal. Acidity is on point and the structure, which Davide says is a hallmark of the vintage, was a highlight. This is an absurd value.
2016 Tomaso Gianolio Barbaresco - $33.99
($127.96 4-pack, $359.88 12 bottle case {$29.99 bottle!})
2018 Tomaso Gianolio Dolcetto d'Alba - $19.99 ($71.96 4-pack)
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