Ca' del Baio is the Grasso family winery in Treiso, in the heart of the Barbaresco area, founded by Giulio Grasso, a grower from a long line. Asili is its flagship wine, and the 2018 vintage carries the words 30 vendemmie on the label: it celebrates thirty years of this Barbaresco, from 1988 to 2018.
Asili is one of the most celebrated crus in the commune of Barbaresco. The family's vineyard faces south-west on bluish clay-limestone marls, with vines planted at different times over forty years. The wine ages for about two years in a mix of oak casks and French barriques, then six months in bottle.
2018 is a classic, fragrant vintage, built on finesse more than power. The wine is garnet, with notes of rose, cherry, raspberry, sweet spice and liquorice, fine tannins and lovely freshness. A celebratory bottle from a great cru at a fair price, with tajarin and truffle, braised meats or aged cheeses.
At a glance: Nebbiolo 100% · 14.5% ABV · 0.75 l · Ca' del Baio, Treiso (CN)