Elio Altare Vigneto Arborina Barolo DOCG 2015
- Vintage
- 2015
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Piedmont
- Size
- 750ml
- Grapes
- Nebbiolo
- Rating
- WA91
Tasted at the winery, I found the 2015 Barolo Arborina to be the most open and accessible of all the wines tasted during this session, perhaps to a fault. This vintage lacks some of the crunch and the nervousness of Nebbiolo in its youth, and I can't help but feel that the wine is slightly flattened out by the heat of the vintage. Dried berry and cherry is followed by spice and saddle leather. I am adjusting the drinking window downward as a result. Serve it alongside barbecued ribs. Drink:2020~2030 - WA91
Elio Altare is an Italian wine producer of Barolo in the northwest region of Piedmont. It is known for having introduced modern winemaking techniques to a traditional, old world region. Elio Altare wines, produced predominantly from the Nebbiolo grape variety, are famous for their richer style.
The winery produces a range of single-vineyard Barolos, including a Cannubi and a Brunate bottling. Elio Altare also produces a Dolcetto d'Alba and Barbera d'Alba, as well as a Langhe Rosso DOC.
Elio Altare has 10 hectares (25 acres) in various vineyards around La Morra. These are mainly planted on calcareous marl soils known as Tortonian, and produce more opulent fruit than their eastern counterparts. In the cellar, the wines undergo a short fermentation in stainless steel before aging sur lie in small French oak barriques. This is quite different to the traditional aging of Barolo in large Slovenian oak casks. The resulting wines are more approachable in their youth than traditional Barolo.
Elio's grandfather, Giuseppe, settled in La Morra in 1948. While at the time, some of the property was planted to Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, fruit and nut trees yielded higher profits than wine, so most of the land was planted to peaches, hazelnuts and apple trees. In 1976, Elio visited Burgundy, where he learned winemaking techniques that are implemented in the winery to this day. - Information from Wine Searcher