Cascina Tavijn Ottavio 2023

Love this. Not for everyone, but I knew what I was after and got exactly that. Textbook Grignolino paradox: looks light, then tears your mouth apart with tannin. Fruit-forward but not simple, loaded with spice, that volatile acidity adding lift. Nadia's rustic signature all over it - that beautiful rough-around-the-edges thing she does. I love to give this wine to breathe a lot, but I also enjoy its evolution in the glass. Almost crowned it wine of the night, but something else just edged it. Still brilliant.

A bottle signed by Nadia. And yes, 2023 might be one of the strongest Ottavios yet. Still young, with firm tannic grip and a punch of volatility that demands some fortitude, but beneath that there's so much charm. Bright red fruits tumble through layers of spice and herbs, the VA adding lift without veering off course. Grignolino doing its usual trick of being both delicate and wild - deceptively light but with a firm handshake. Not a crowd-pleaser, but a wine with character. I savoured every drop.

The 2023 is probably the best release I've tried. This wine has always been a challenge for me - super funky, intensely acidic, and never quite enough fruit or structure to make it easy to drink. It's still not the simplest wine, but something about this vintage just clicks.

I lost track of how much of this wine I drank over ten hours, but I kept topping up my glass, and by the end of the day, it was probably the wine I reached for the most. And pouring it for others was half the fun - the colour is so deceptive. You expect something light, juicy, maybe a playful semi-red... and then, surprise - it's Grignolino! The tannins grip with serious intensity. Yet everything here is stylish, well-executed. Funky, as expected from these wines, but well within reason.

Ottavio

Tasting Notes

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