Grasso Fratelli, Treiso (Piedmont)

The Grasso brothers, Luigi and Alfredo make delicious, traditional style wines a stone's throw away from Nada Giuseppe in the Val Grande in Treiso, one of the best sub-zones in Barbaresco. More...

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The estate was founded in 1900 by Valentino Grasso, the brothers' grandfather but, like so many other estates in the region, both large and small, estate bottling didn't begin until the 1970s. The family has always adopted a very traditional approach to winemaking and the resultant wines - from Nebbiolo at least - are long-lived and require time in the bottle to come round.

It is fascinating to compare their wines with those of Enrico Nada who has adopted a more modernist approach. Indeed, one of the attractions of this estate is its library of semi-mature wines including some already over a decade old. That they need more bottle age than Enrico's wines is in no doubt. Even at 10 years old, the tannins are still lurking although softened with age and the fruit is still mostly primary. There is no hurrying these wines.

I have to admit that, whilst I liked the non-Nebbiolo wines made here, they didn't "wow" me on first taste with one exception: the 5.5% ABV Moscato d'Asti which has a delightful sweetness and sparkle, perfect as a very chilled aperitif or with cheeses at the end of the meal (and a sweet-toothed dinner guest can enjoy a couple of glasses throughout the meal without worrying about the drive home). However, since then two other wines have impressed: the Dolcetto is a particularly good example, bursting with summer fruits, and a blend of Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera called Trej has proved a real hit both with me and others who have tasted it.