1996 Langhe Arborina
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Tasting notes
Elio Altare's 1996 Langhe Arborina has held up well. In fact, this is one of the better bottles of the 1996 I have tasted. Still fresh, vibrant and nuanced, the 1996 remains quite fruit-driven in style. Like all of the best wines in the modern style, the 1996 Arborina retains gorgeous vibrancy in its fruit, but it also has less aromatic nuance than the Giacosa Villero tasted alongside it. There is little question the Arborina has aged gracefully. At the same time, it is obvious the wine will age on its fruit rather than develop the full breadth of aromatic nuance complexity of more classically made wines.
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Average Score
Robert Parker
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 1996 Langhe Arborina is a rare wine that doesn't live up to the pedigree of the vintage. Although the wine shows good up-front immediacy, it never truly blossoms on the mid-palate and finish, and is also more advanced than the Barolo. Dark red cherry, mint, crushed flowers and minerals open up, but the 1996 Langhe never really seems to come together.
Altare is a genius in terms of turning out gloriously ripe, multidimensional, complex wines. This top-notch effort is super-rich, perfumed, and pleasing to both the intellectual and hedonistic senses. Altare's 1996 Arborina vino da tavola (100% barrique-aged Nebbiolo) possesses jammy cherry scents, as well as intriguing aromas of roasted coffee, tobacco smoke, and vanilla. Ripe and full-bodied, with terrific fruit intensity and no hard edges, it is another Altare fruit bomb to enjoy over the next 5-6 years. Bravo! A Marc de Grazia Selection, imported by Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300