Elio Altare Barolo 2014
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Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Very intense ruby red with garnet reflections in the glass. Fresh scents of small red fruits, raspberry, redcurrant and wild roses that evolve into licorice and spice notes. Warm, elegant, persistent with a long finish and soft tannins.
Enjoy on its own or pair with red meats or aged cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Barolo is a charming wine that shows us what can be accomplished when fruit selection is severe. Silvia Altare tells me that she lost up to 60% of her Barolo production in the very challenging 2014 vintage. In fact, bottle production for this wine is only 4,500, compared to 12,000 bottles made in any other average vintage. Because she had so little fruit to use, the wine maintains its quality standards and will definitely surprise all those 2014 naysayers. The bouquet opens to thick layers of cherry fruit, blackberry, spice and wild rose. The mouthfeel offers medium weight with good fiber and lasting softness.
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Grandfather Giuseppe Altare purchased the farm and winery in 1948, and our family practiced the typical Piemontese mixed agriculture up until the mid-1970s. Besides winegrapes, the family grew pears. apples, hazelnuts, wheat, and corn. 1971 was the last year in which we worked the land with oxen; after that we gradually acquired tractors and other farm machinery.
Those were not easy times, given the economic crisis that lasted for years. Elio, along with other friends, decided to learn about winemaking beyond the borders of Piemonte and try to grab some of the success that those regions were enjoying. Their first trip to Burgundy, in January 1976, was a revelation, and Elio began experimenting with methods outside of the traditional ones in Piemonte
After a brief period working with his father Giovanni, Elio, at the age of 26 years decided to change direction and to give a different interpretation to the family's wine, favouring elegance, finesse, and balance. He began a strict regimen in the vineyard and adopted new vinification techniques in the cantina in order to highlight the grape variety and the territory in which it was grown.
The winery at this point is a family operation, with the invaluable help of Elio's wife, Lucia, and daughters Silvia and Elena. Together, they continue Elio's tireless effort, experimentation, and research.
Today the family works 10 hectares, of which five are rented. They have adopted techniques aimed at respecting nature. The principle objective is that of limiting the use of chemical substances, both in the vineyard and in the cellar. The wines are not subjected to filtering or fining, so that they keep all of the material and character extracted during maceration