2011 Elio Altare Barolo Brunate
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Sadly, the 2011 Barolo Brunate represents the last time this wine will be released. The Altare family lost its lease on this historic vineyard. In fact, this is the only year Altare will release a full range of wines including those being phased out and those being newly introduced. Elegance and grace are the main themes here, but you also get a pretty embroidery of violets, toasted almond and balsam herb. Elio and Silvia Altare tell me they are heartbroken to see this important part of their portfolio disappear. We all are.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Concentrated ruby with orange tinges. Seductive nose of soft fruit cake and oak, but the palate shows much more tightly knit. Bitter laurel and cherry palate with wonderful supple acidity and bags of tannins that demand more time. (WS)
Altare's 2011 Barolo Brunate is dark, powerful and quite inward. There is little of the vintage's openness here. Instead, the 2011 Brunate comes across as decidedly rich, ample and unevolved. Dark cherries, plums, smoke and leather form an inviting fabric of flavors and textures, but the Brunate is only revealing a fraction of its potential today. The tannins remain formidable while the fruit is incredibly primary, so readers will have to be patient. The 2011 clearly needs time, the only question is how much.
Deep, powerful and resonant on the palate, the 2011 Barolo Brunate boasts serious potential. Plums, smoke, licorice, menthol and leather meld together in a deep, intense wine built on texture and pure volume. Sadly, this is Altare's last Barolo from Brunate, as he no longer has access to fruit from Marco Marengo's vineyard.