94 Points from Antonio Galloni of Vinous: "The 2021 Langhe Giarborina is Altare's Nebbiolo done with a shorter maceration and less time in wood -100% new oak, as always. Bright and articulate on the palate, with compelling energy, the 2021 is wonderfully refined from start to finish. Crushed rose petal, cedar, spice, tobacco and mint grace the vibrant finish. Give the nervy tannins a few years to soften."
ELIO ALTARE: BAROLO'S ORIGINAL ICONOCLAST
By Brandon Kerne, Master Sommelier & Kelly Rau
You've probably heard the story: after a trip to Burgundy in January of 1976 Elio came back home with a new vision for his family's wines; he wanted to integrate French winemaking techniques to his family's very traditional way of making Barolo. He took a chainsaw to the ancient botti (large old barrels) that his family has used for generations, turning the leftover pieces into firewood and replaced them with new barriques. This caused a tremendous rift in the family that never healed, and, sadly, his father never spoke to him again. Elio's actions might have been extreme, but they were transformational in bringing about the modern style of Barolo we all know and love today, one that has less extraction, softer tannins, elegance, and more approachability when young.
Today, Elio's daughter Silvia runs the estate and continues her father's legacy of being a leader and trailblazer in the Italian wine industry. Always embracing change, the property is organic and operates entirely without the use of pesticides. The Tortonian soils underlying the vineyards provide fully phenologically ripe fruit, even in difficult vintages, which is then fermented in stainless steel before maturing in French barriques, typically for 24 months. Elio is still around to provide guidance, but these days he is focused more on cheesemaking and organic vegetable gardening knowing the estate is in good hands with Silvia.
2020 is a gorgeous and slightly more accessible vintage in Barolo. The weather was warm and cooperative throughout the growing season, but a rain event in October caused some issues. Many producers were able to either pick before the rains or wait them out, but the sudden coolness prevented the vintage from being one of the most legendary. Still, the wines are beautiful, showing more power than 2018s and more elegance and finesse than 2019s, especially in their youth. They are medium bodied and can both reward medium-term cellaring or be enjoyed younger due to the slightly gentler tannic structure. Antonio Galloni of Vinous found a lot to love in the 2020s writing: "The best 2020 Barolos offer exquisite balance, tons of class and plenty of up-front appeal. In the previous generation, a forward vintage often meant soft, fruity wines. In 2020, however, those qualities come through in mid-weight wines endowed with gorgeous translucence and plenty of classicism." Altare's Barolos are some of the highlights of the vintage, and they clearly handled the end of season storm with ease as you'll see below from the high point scores.
Antonio Galloni On Altare & 2020 in Piedmont: "Silvia Altare and longtime cellarmaster Tes Cyo presented a gorgeous set of wines. Altare is among the handful of estates that have successfully handled the generational transition, often the biggest challenge for family-owned wineries in Piedmont. Silvia Altare has retained her father's style while adding greater precision and nuance to the wines. Altare describes 2020 as a year with a normal flowering at the outset that was later extended by cold weather and rain. The Nebbiolo harvest took place from September 20 to October 8, so on the early side at the start. Altare opted to do three passes in each vineyard instead of the more typical two. The Barolos were fermented in rotary tanks for about five days, with the exception of the Cannubi, which was fermented in a smaller tank, with manual pumpovers and punchdowns because of the smaller volume of juice. Aging was done in French oak barrique, about 20-25% new. In 2020, Altare did not bottle her Barolo Cerretta, as she did not feel the wine was up to Riserva standards. Instead, that wine was blended into the straight Barolo."
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