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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 29 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Dibbs on 8/20/2023 & rated 94 points: It is always quite amazing to see how good a wine Altare managed to make consistently from what at best is a 1er plot. Drinking youthfully, to say the least, quite a few years if not decades of drinking ahead. Glad to have more bottles of this. (899 views) | | | Tasted by melvinyeowq on 8/19/2023 & rated 93 points: Guessed a modern Barolo from a strong vintage like '99 or '01 but was surprised this turned out to be older as it was showing so youthfully. Some VA and noticeable oak use on the nose but wasn’t obtrusive. The ripe cherry fruit, sharp acidity and polished veneer on the palate that made it an easy guess as a modern Barolo producer from a good year. Good for those who like larger-scaled, sensual wines. (708 views) | | | Tasted by Bob H on 11/27/2021: This is very good, but somewhat in the shadow of the ‘98 Conterno tonight (which, in fairness, is firing on all cylinders). Darker-toned on the nose, and not quite as lengthy on the palate as the Conterno. But very good nonetheless.
I’m sitting here with another glass and a piece of parmigiana Reggiano tonight (a day after opening) and I can see that my note last night really underrated this wine - this is gorgeous tonight, with distinct tar notes on the nose that I didn’t get last night. Delicious - kind of sad I only have one left. (1373 views) | | | Tasted by fclarity on 6/7/2020 & rated 94 points: Tasted blind, this wine was easy to call as Italian. It had a deep red center with orange rims. The high- intensity nose was dramatic with its licorice, high toned funk, dried cherries, tar, and soil.
In the mouth, this wine had noticeable rounded tannins, firm acidity, and great length. It was well balanced but did beg for food given its size.
I found this to be lovely. It was more traditional than I expected from my first tasting of it 25 years ago. This is just coming into its window. I would suggest either PNP or decanting for 10 hours. This is just my guess based on one data point. Enjoy! (3258 views) | | | Tasted by Vladimir1111 on 12/31/2019 & rated 94 points: Great wine and value. Medium body, elegant, still beautiful fruit just a little much of earth on the nose which completely resolved within hours (1922 views) | | | Tasted by Mascarello59 on 9/9/2019 & rated 92 points: A bit atypcial and surprisingly youthful for a 30 y old Barolo. Cherries, roses, orange peel, tobacco nose. Medium+ body. High acidity and good fruit levels. Tannic but well balanced. Very pleasant. Good elegant finish. (1862 views) | | | Tasted by SteveHyde on 8/11/2019 & rated 93 points: What a pleasant surprise. Fresh, lively, well-balanced with delicious berry and sour cherry fruit, fine tannin, acid backbone. Quite youthful in color and aromas. Distinct profile, lacking typicality a bit, but very, very enjoyable. (1665 views) | | | Tasted by Markus IWC on 10/1/2017 & rated 95 points: Tasted blind, very nice surprise, would never have guessed this was as old as 90. Very fresh with lively fruit and acidity, tannins fully integrated and a beautiful velvety mouthfeel. Altare is one of the modernist and use a lot of new French oak, but only a gentle touch of oak is apparent in this wine. Develops nicely in the glass, delicious licorice and caramel notes. One of the best wines of the weekend. Lots of life left in this bottle. 95p (906 views) | | | Tasted by Eric Guido on 9/27/2017 & rated 93 points: 1990 Barolo and Barbaresco Retrospective II (The North End Grill): The nose was dark and intense, showing black earth, minerals, hauntingly dark floral tones, dried black cherry, cedar, and savory herbs. On the palate, I found unbelievable silky textures and medium-to-full bodied weight, with vibrant red berry fruits, spices, minerals and vibrant acidity that added great energy to the mix. It was so easy to like that you could easily find yourself drinking it instead of tasting. The finish was long with a display of dark red fruit, saturating sweet spice, tobacco and dried roses. (3332 views) | | | Tasted by Eric Guido on 2/5/2017 & rated 93 points: The 1990 Arborina is exquisite tonight. The bouquet displayed a seductive mix if ripe black cherry, medicinal herbs, licorice, cinnamon and hints of smoke. With time in the glass, dusty floral tones and undergrowth emerged. On the palate, I was greeted by perfectly resolved tannin underscoring silky textures with saturating tart cherry, cedar and spice notes. A zing of vibrant acidity brought freshness as this finished long on spicy dark red fruit. Wow, Perfectly mature and firing on all cylinders. (3106 views) | | | Tasted by Seth Rosenberg on 3/7/2015 & rated 92 points: Dark, somewhat roasted - coffee, licorice, cloves, dark cherry, horsey. Powerful on finish - dark, roasted, resolved tannins, tar, some roses, dark cherry. Too roasted and volatile for me. Sweet, tar and spicy finish. Nose - 4-4.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15-15.5/20.
With some time, this resolved more on the palate - prune, cherry, tart, roses - elegant, resolved tannins. The finish has improved with nice roses and tart berries. Nose - 4.5-5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5-5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 15.5-17/20. (4694 views) | | | Tasted by Topper on 11/9/2014 & rated 92 points: Surprisingly alive and showing off. Medium body with a little punch, violets, roses, and red cherries. Secondary flavors show in the background but I suspect they will never get too pronounced. Very enjoyable if not remarkable. (3853 views) | | | Tasted by swapdoc on 11/6/2014: Elio Altare Barolo Winemaker Dinner (La Pizza Fresca Ristorante): Just an amazing nose of flowers, tar, roses -- delicate and wonderfully integrated bouquet. The fruit is just as lively as '98, long and plentiful. Caressing mouth feel. great balance. Flowery and sophisticated. What a treat! (3922 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 5/11/2013 & rated 92 points: Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Instantly recognizable as from Piedmont based on the floral, anise and tar aromatic start. Still fresh and charming with lots of power on finish. (5686 views) | | | Tasted by Rupert on 9/21/2011 & rated 92 points: Mixed Barolo and Barbaresco 1958-1990 (River Café, Hammersmith, London): For all its tannin, this was smooth, fine, elegant, restrained, with some floral fragrance (5706 views) | | | Tasted by Dubie on 7/11/2011 & rated 94 points: A wine remarkably in control, that engages with you, seeking sometimes to flirt to decide whether to reveal itself or not. As this gets into adulthood, it will be very powerful. (3943 views) | | | Tasted by SteveHyde on 10/10/2010: showed beautifully at a tasting of the NKs. Outperformed. Will need to open another soon. (3962 views) | | | Tasted by kenv on 10/9/2010 & rated 93 points: 1990 Barolo: Modern vs. Traditional (private home): Much more expansive nose. Delicious cherries. Expansive. Great potential. Modern, but so much better than the last one. [1990 Vigna Arborina!] (6074 views) | | | Tasted by Jossik on 9/1/2010 & rated 91 points: Più evoluto e decisamente molto più buono di quello bevuto in precedenza. I toni fruttati si sono attenuati, e la potenza si è un po' affinata ed ha guadagnato in eleganza. Rimane un po' poco fine compelssivamente (3162 views) | | | Tasted by Jossik on 3/13/2010 & rated 89 points: Naso molto fruttone e carico, spudoratamente giovane. Bocca parecchio acida e anch'essa indietrissimo. Forse complessivamente poco fine, ma buono (2836 views) | | | Tasted by il_diavolo on 5/24/2009 & rated 92 points: still quite dark in colour. comes across as young, potent and still life in it. more fruit than the 1989 and truffle on the nose. a real pleasure. (3270 views) | | | Tasted by Johann Von Mastiff on 12/12/2008 & rated 96 points: A classic la Morra Barolo. As good as it gets from this commune. Almost lithe and very feminine in the mouth with amazingly smooth tannins giving the wine grip. Lost of fruit left in this wine as well. Drinking really well right now but this wine has years left to go. (3220 views) | | | Tasted by foodandwineblog on 10/16/2008 & rated 92 points: Blackberry, currant, spice notes dominate the palate while fairly moderate-sized tannins bring some excitement to the midpalate. A hint of earth/spice comes and goes on the long finish. This wine is holding up VERY well and should do so for many years to come. foodandwineblog.com (3067 views) | | | Tasted by JeffGMorris on 11/4/2006 & rated 94 points: Dinner at Fearrington House. Dark garnet in color. Very perfumed with lots of roses and sour cherries. Medium bodied and with a long finish that still shows gritty/chalky tannins. A really lovely wine that is still on the upswing but is beautiful to drink today. 50+13+13+9+9 = 94 (3773 views) | | | Tasted by Chateaunewf on 9/30/2006 & rated 92 points: Still deeply garnet colored. Reticent on the nose. Still fairly primary on the nose and palate. Not surprising for a high profile Langhe 1990 vintage wine but I thought it might be a little more evolved for a modernist producer like Altare. It is just beginning to smooth out and become integrated with softening tannins. A beautiful bottle of wine but just at the beginning of it maturity profile. Not really showing secondary or tertiary characteristics yet but his should continue to develop nicely for years to come. Should merit a higher score in another five years. (3861 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Elio Altare – Portraits in Nebbiolo: 1984-2004 (Jun 2015) (3/1/2015)
(Elio Altare Barolo Vigneto Arborina) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Piedmont’s Glorious 1989 and 1990 Vintages Revisited (Feb 2010)
(Elio Altare Barolo Arborina) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Elio Altare Producer websiteNebbioloNebbiolo is a red grape indigenous to the Piedmont region of Italy in the Northwest. The grape can also be found in other parts of the world, though they are not as respected.
Nebbiolo is often considered the "king of red wines," as it is the grape of the famed wines of Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, and Roero DOCG. It is known for high tannins and acidity, but with a distinct finesse. When grown on clay, Nebbiolo can be very powerful, tannic, and require long aging periods to reach its full potential. When grown on sand, the grape exhibits a more approachable body with more elegant fruit and less tannins, but still has high aging potential.
"Nebbiolo" is named for the Italian word, "nebbia", which means "fog", in Italian and rightfully so since there is generally a lot of fog in the foothills of Piedmont during harvest.
Nebbiolo is a late-ripening variety that does best in a continental climate that boasts moderate summers and long autumns. In Piedmont, Nebbiolo is normally harvested in October.
More links:
Varietal character (Appellation America) | Nebbiolo on CellarTrackerVigneto Arborina On weinlagen-infoItaly Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorPiedmont Vignaioli Piemontesi (Italian only)
On weinlagen-infoLanghe Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Roero | Union of Producers of Albese Wines (Albeisa)BaroloRegional History:
The wines of Piedmont are noted as far back as Pliny's Natural History. Due to geographic and political isolation, Piedmont was without a natural port for most of its history, which made exportation treacherous and expensive. This left the Piedmontese with little incentive to expand production. Sixteenth-century records show a mere 14% of the Bassa Langa under vine -- most of that low-lying and farmed polyculturally. In the nineteenth century the Marchesa Falletti, a frenchwoman by birth, brought eonologist Louis Oudart from Champagne to create the first dry wines in Piemonte. Along with work in experimental vineyards at Castello Grinzane conducted by Camilo Cavour -- later Conte di Cavour, leader of the Risorgimento and first Prime Minister of Italy -- this was the birth of modern wine in the Piedmont. At the heart of the region and her reputation are Alba and the Langhe Hills. This series of weathered outcroppings south of the Tanaro River is of maritime origin and composed mainly of limestone, sand and clay, known as terra bianca. In these soils -located mainly around the towns of Barolo and Barbaresco -- the ancient allobrogica, now Nebbiolo, achieves its renowned fineness and power.
map of Barolo DOCG
An interesting thread on Traditional vs. Modern Barolo producers:
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=106291 |
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