Thanks to the Alessandria family, the once under-the-radar village of Verduno has been firmly put on the map. While the family has been making fine Barolos here for five generations, quality has never been higher than now; under the stewardship of current incumbent Vittore Alessandria, the estate`s profile has soared. Vittore can seem like a pretty serious fellow, till he breaks into a huge smile and stops trying to hide the fact he loves what he`s doing. And he`s got reason to be pleased. The hard work of recent years, the extra attention to detail in the vineyards and the further investments in the cellar have all reaped their reward in the wines.

The Alessandria holdings stretch over twelve hectares in the communes of Verduno and Monforte. Their single greatest site is in Monvigliero, the Verduno `grand cru`; fine clay soils and the proximity of the Tanaro River give a character all their own. Also in Verduno, there is the fine San Lorenzo. And from outside Verduno, in Monforte, they also have a superb holding in Gramolere cru, lifted, bright, herbal and minty. They also have some Barbera, Dolcetto and the very rarely-seen, very local Pelaverga.

Harvest time is always the best time to visit winegrowers. When else are you going to see them head-in-hands exhausted while their courtier eggs you on to lecture them about pricing and the place of Barolo in the UK market? Sheesh. Anyway, as ever, and despite almost terminal tiredness Vittore was his usual good natured and generous self. He even tried to look as if he was listening to me. Actually that last bit’s a lie. Nothing has changed since my last visit. No shiny new winery; no new, wizzy winemaking techniques; no relaunching the brand. Though they are experimenting with a subtly different colour scheme for their capsules. What they are doing is consistently turning out a set of excellent Barolo wines, while the Prinsiot Langhe Nebbiolo offers value. (CW/NT 30/10/19)