Barolo with a sense of history
Fratelli Alessandria have been making sublime Barolos since the beginning of the 19th century, and quality has never been higher than under current fifth-generation incumbent Vittore Alessandria. Vittore follows a classically simple (modern) winemaking model; temperature-controlled fermentation in steel tanks is started by wild yeasts. Aging takes place in large, old French and Slavonian casks. Yet as Vittore would be the first to admit, it is the terroir more than the winery that makes the wine; and Fratelli Alessandria have sites in some of Verduno and Monforte's very finest crus.
Sandwiched between the much-lauded 2013s and the eagerly awaited 2015s, there was always a danger that the 2014s would be overlooked. But the difficult, rainy summer in Piedmont was followed by a long, hot, dry autumn, of which late-ripening Nebbiolo enjoyed the full luxurious benefit. Quality-minded growers such as Fratelli Alessandria accepted lower yields to keep quality high, and the results are glorious.
Elegant, long and fragrant, the 2014 Barolo incorporates a high proportion of fruit from the San Lorenzo di Verduno cru they chose not to make as a single vineyard bottling this year. From Monforte rather than their home commune of Verduno, the Gramolere is bright, grippy and minty. Impeccably balanced, it is perhaps the most precise of their bottlings this vintage. Monvigliero is Verduno's most lauded cru. Heavy clay soils and the proximity of the Tanaro River give it a character all of its own. Exotic and spiced, full of perfume, its heady aromatics lead to a structured mouthfeel and long, driven finish. /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold; for shipment Winter 2018
