Grignolino

Had the 08 Heitz bottling of this grape and found it light, but enjoyable. Nice sweet and sour cherry that went well with a pasta sauced with roasted veggies. First time for this grape. Curious about Italian producers. Any suggestions of those that may be found stateside.

Uhhh, Robert…that is not necessarily a flaw. Grignolino, like Nebbiolo, has weird polyphenolics. The color of the wines
are pretty light. Often made as a rose. If you make it as a full-throttle red…it, like Nebbiolo, can be fiercely tannic.

Heitz is about the only one making Grignolino in Calif. And it is a very good one. KahnWnry makes one (or used to) down in SantaBarbara.
Not sure about Mosby.

I’ve only found a few from Italy/Piemonte. The Bava was probably the best I’ve tried. Not many produced in Ital that I’ve seen.
But it’s an interesting grape…should be being planted all up&down the coast of Calif.

Thanks for the TN. I need to stop in next time I’m in the NapaVlly & pick up a btl. Kudos to Heitz to keep producing
a wine that was near & dear to ole Joe’s heart.

Tom

Tried this Heitz Grignolino awhile back… Found it weirdly tart on its own, better with food.

Unfortunately, it’s also the only Grignolino I’ve ever tried.

http://www.ruchecrivelli.it/ENG/winery.html

Slightly off topic, but I tasted Francesco Rinaldi Grignolino 2015 today; lovely in a light and fragrant way. Fresh and juicy, with grippy yet enjoyable tannins kicking in on the back palate. 86 p.

I have the impression that Grignolino is going through something of a minor revival these days in Piemonte with an increasing number of wineries making one. For me, Marchesi Alfieri’s Sansoero remains the gold standard.

Have 2014 Heitz Grignolino open now with grilled swordfish. Quite food friendly, agree with others that it is better with food than on its own. Have had the Rose in the past and enjoyed it.

I really like the Braida Limonte Grignolino d’Asti. It looks like it’s pretty widely available (considering it’s Grignolino) for about $20, which I think is a good price for what it is. It’s light and refreshing, but you have to be ready for a wall of tannins. Great for charcuterie, I’d imagine.

A local Italian spot had the '13 Heitz Grignolino available for a whopping $35 so I said hell-yes. I loved it. This little place’s proprietor was cooking up something off the menu for us to share as an appetizer, a smokey fettuccine Ciauscolo. The nose had incredible intensity of pure raspberry. Yeah, the profile is a bit unexpected with little mid-palate fruit, a wall of tannins, and then some fruit kind of sneaks up on you on the finish. Too bad not more is made. The restaurant owner and head chef was waxing on a bit about some great grignolinos he drinks when visiting in Italy and not available here.

Montalbera makes a Grignolino d’Asti for around $15-ish, or at least used to here in NYC. Echoing what others describe, it is light in color for a red, with the raspberry-ish fruit and tannin kind of unexpected for the wine’s “look”. Glad to hear of its increasing popularity in the Piedmont

Just tasted the 2016 Francesco Rinaldi Grignolino. In its simplicity, it’s absolutely gorgeous!

I recall Randall Grahm commenting a while back that the Heitz grignolino was rumored to actually be brachetto.

Which reminds me that I’ve yet to try a dry Brachetto, but am intrigued to do so.

Heitz Grignolino Rose is worth a try. Limited, but fun wine.



Ian,
Dry Brachettos can be quite lovely. Both Correggia and Sottimano are fairly available. This Sottimano was too old, alas.
Scarpa make one that’s also quite good, but more difficult to find.
I love the Malvira Birbet in the sweet/frizzante style. Great w/ Charcuterie.
Tom

Bill,
I’m a bit suspect of Randall’s statement. All the Heitz Grignolinos and Rose I’ve had speak
strongly of Grignolino. No resemblance to Brachetto that I can see. And the orangey/onion-skin
color fits w/ Grignolino.
And FPS doesn’t have Brachetto in their list of varieties. Though they should.
Tom

Hi Tom
Yes, I’ve been a fan of the sweet frothy versions for a while, though for me it’s typically employed as an energising aperitivo after day spent on holiday in Italy. I’ve also had a still full-on dessert wine from Loazzolo. Interesting but I think I had higher expectations.
Regards
Ian

Tom,
Not questioning your call on the grape but here are a couple of other sources, non-definitive as they may be…

Prial, NYTimes, Wine Talk June 25, 1997 “Heitz Wine Cellars makes a delightful rose from what may be America’s only vineyard of grignolino, a northern Italian variety. Some experts doubt that the Heitz vines are true grignolino, but Angelo Gaja, Piedmont’s master winemaker, imports the Heitz wine into Italy, preferring it to the domestic versions.”

Weimax website "Heitz continues to make this excellent “little” wine from this variety. My contention is this “Grignolino” is probably another Piemontese grape called “Brachetto”.

Bill,
Turns out that FPS does have Brachetto in their supply:
http://fps.ucdavis.edu/fgrdetails.cfm?varietyid=304
but it’s only a recent addition, around 2014.

The original Heitz Grignolino was planted back in the 1940, predating FPS. Where it came from is anybody’s guess, probably something somebody
brought back from Piemonte. So it very well could be a mistaken identification. DNA would easily tell the truth.

But it’s really not important. Whatever it is, the Heitz is a very pretty wine & good drinking.
Tom