Decanted 3 hrs. Like most Altare Barolos, I am totally seduced by the nose, that heady concoction of rose petals, brown sugar, other baking spices, more flowers, touches of soy or other saline material, gets me every time. Most of these traits repeat on the palate, and then add some very high quality black cherry fruit. And then mid palate see's a brick wall of tannin, perhaps one of the more structured reds I have had in quite some time. It does turn a bit dry on the finish, which became a bit of a distraction for half a glass, and then either my palate succumbed or just waived the white flag - but it didn't stand out as much for the rest of the bottle. I can see this being a little decisive for some, not the last word on subtlety, but I am a fan for sure. Big time hold here.
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Belle structure, et équilibre entre le fruit et les tanins. Mures, groseilles; légèrement compoté. Graphite, goudron et violette, ainsi que musc. Style plutôt masculin.
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Tellement juicy, il commence très tranquillement à s'ouvrir. C'est dans un autre répertoir complètement versus Bussia de Conterno. C'est super bon, mais a besoin d'un bon coup de carafe. Je vais garder mon 2009 encore longtemps.
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Still a bit young in my eyes. Great and tight tannins. A bit too tight on opening, improved immensly with 4 hours of air, and was also really good after 24 hours.
Fruity and tobacco, hint of cherry.
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I actually managed to guess Serralunga here - while the donor had himself forgotten, that this was from there. This is firm and very good, Altare dos not let the foreign terroir down, cool with some tannins, very concentrated, some tar, plenty of fruit - too young still. #X-pensiveWinos
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Pure cherry fruit but with anise and earth, just opened and very complex. Palate is very tight but shows promise, or more than promise, just very tight.
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Oak dominated. While not toast (thank goodness), it is still oak and it is still new and it still clashes completely with Nebbiolo. Oak and underbrush notes are completely contrary yet continuous and monolithic. The tremendous oak spice is truly terrific in being omnipresent. Reticent sweet red fruits, cocoa powder. Overtly drying tannin, this isn't your early drinking 2011. Mouth numbing extraction. Compact even with being so full bodied. Yet disorganized. Opaque. Simultaneously huge, yet nowhere. I always hate the gendered descriptions of Barolo and Barbaresco, but if you want over bearing, this is your father you wish you never had. Given its tremendous size, 15% alcohol only appears a bit warm on the finish even if it singes the nostrils a bit. Wouldn't call this Barolo, but it's something. All power without an ounce of grace. It's like a bad stereotype of machoism. Played terribly at the table even with a decant compared to a 3 day old over achieving French Malbec at a third the price. At this point, can't see rating the 90+ rating. Maybe an 89 if I'm being objective and forgiving? There is potential for this to become organized. Being this is the first Altare I've had, not an advertisement for future purchases. Another testament that the presses treatment of the "Barolo Wars" being over and everyone is cool with barriques as a joke. This wine is like a cousin of Barolo but not the genuine article. Hold for another 7 at least and maybe it integrates but I'm not holding my breath. It does pose the question of how long of tasting an "oak frame' before you start to realize this is a coffin? I guess only time will tell.
Day 2: more stewed fruit, less power. More heat on the finish which lingers. Power and length with less power. Not a promising second act. 88
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Serralunga Cru, Been open for 5 minutes and still super tight. Will have to revisit later. Even so, really fine tannins, and classic tar and sour cherry palate. This wine will be unreal after decanting.
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Denne vinen overrasker meget positivt i den litt varmere 2011-årgangen der vinrankene fra Serralunga er ganske så unge, bare 15 år gamle. Vinen vinifiseres på samme måte som Cannubi-vinen og det lages ca 5000 flasker av denne vinen.
Vinen er rik og tyngre på nesen med mørkere preg på frukten med plommer, lakris, røyk og med et fint trevirke. På paletten er vinen konsentrert og oppleves som stor og med et fint bløtt anslag der mørkere røde bær, lær, lakris og faste tanniner konkurrerer sterkt med en sylfersk Bordeaux om å være det flotteste følge til sommerens blodige biffer. Og ja – jeg sa den kommende sommeren. Vinen er faktisk overraskende tilgjengelig nå, og vil ikke gjøre skamme på kjøttmåltidet. Selvfølgelig har vinen fint et 10-15 års lagringspotensiale, men er nok ikke for det lange løpet. 94 poeng.
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A powerful wine with alot of tanins, alot of spices,, dark, dark dark fruit needs mor time then the other 2011 from Altare we tried, to open up, The wine has roses, licorice, fat fruit, minerals, and the aftertaste is very long.
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På besök hos Elio Altare. Alltid lika trevligt att besöka Silvia Altare. Ett besök som verkligen rekommenderas.
Detta vin provades från fat.
Detta vin är lite kraftfullare och mer rustikt än både Arborina, Brunate och Cannubi. Den har precis om de andra denna underbara rena frukt, men med lite mörkare toner, lakrits och tobak. Även i smaken lite mer rustikt och lite mörkare kraftfullare frukt. Underbar längd med bra tryck
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Tasted from tank at the winery. Here we go again. 2011 killer nose! This is a bit bigger, deeper and more “dangerous” than the previous wines tasted. Darker fruit, still with primarily the fantastic raspberries, flowers, licorice, animal tones and some tar. On the palate this offers lovely delicious creamy fat fruit, raspberries, strawberries, red berries, chalky minerals. This is a big wine in its thru meaning, but still delicate and transparent and feminine. Super long finish, with great punch! (95 – 97)
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4/7/2024 - Dale M wrote:
Decanted 3 hrs. Like most Altare Barolos, I am totally seduced by the nose, that heady concoction of rose petals, brown sugar, other baking spices, more flowers, touches of soy or other saline material, gets me every time. Most of these traits repeat on the palate, and then add some very high quality black cherry fruit. And then mid palate see's a brick wall of tannin, perhaps one of the more structured reds I have had in quite some time. It does turn a bit dry on the finish, which became a bit of a distraction for half a glass, and then either my palate succumbed or just waived the white flag - but it didn't stand out as much for the rest of the bottle. I can see this being a little decisive for some, not the last word on subtlety, but I am a fan for sure. Big time hold here.
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2/26/2024 - jmoon Likes this wine: 92 Points
Straight down the line aged Barolo. Good fruit but still very dry and always will be.
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12/9/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Earthy and dirt on the nose now.
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12/8/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
On day five really roasty tobacco on the nose, more fruit on the mid palate but the back has dried out. Should have drunk it sooner!
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12/4/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Funny, in a flight of young quickly opened Barolos where the tannins are high, this still manages to show a touch of plushness in the mid palate.
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9/17/2022 - FrancoisD Likes this wine: 93 Points
Belle structure, et équilibre entre le fruit et les tanins.
Mures, groseilles; légèrement compoté.
Graphite, goudron et violette, ainsi que musc.
Style plutôt masculin.
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9/24/2021 - Tonythefish wrote: 91 Points
One hour decant. Dark plum, light tobacco, medium red color with light golden hue. Very enjoyable
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7/10/2021 - nmichaud1 Likes this wine:
Tellement juicy, il commence très tranquillement à s'ouvrir. C'est dans un autre répertoir complètement versus Bussia de Conterno. C'est super bon, mais a besoin d'un bon coup de carafe. Je vais garder mon 2009 encore longtemps.
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2/14/2021 - heikkih Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still a bit young in my eyes. Great and tight tannins. A bit too tight on opening, improved immensly with 4 hours of air, and was also really good after 24 hours.
Fruity and tobacco, hint of cherry.
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10/24/2020 - Hanibal wrote: 90 Points
Very disappointing showing.. way too much oak and little fruit....
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4/3/2020 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Beautiful pure cherry fruit with touches of wet stone and minerality to it. And amazing depth on the mid palate, and then tannic, but pure still.
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1/17/2020 - beatles wrote: 94 Points
I actually managed to guess Serralunga here - while the donor had himself forgotten, that this was from there. This is firm and very good, Altare dos not let the foreign terroir down, cool with some tannins, very concentrated, some tar, plenty of fruit - too young still.
#X-pensiveWinos
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11/22/2019 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Pure cherry fruit but with anise and earth, just opened and very complex. Palate is very tight but shows promise, or more than promise, just very tight.
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8/13/2019 - Stevenwsims Likes this wine: 96 Points
Needed an hour in decanter.
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6/9/2019 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
So hard edge with oak tannins.
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3/10/2018 - yossarian.livez wrote: 88 Points
Oak dominated. While not toast (thank goodness), it is still oak and it is still new and it still clashes completely with Nebbiolo. Oak and underbrush notes are completely contrary yet continuous and monolithic. The tremendous oak spice is truly terrific in being omnipresent. Reticent sweet red fruits, cocoa powder. Overtly drying tannin, this isn't your early drinking 2011. Mouth numbing extraction. Compact even with being so full bodied. Yet disorganized. Opaque. Simultaneously huge, yet nowhere. I always hate the gendered descriptions of Barolo and Barbaresco, but if you want over bearing, this is your father you wish you never had. Given its tremendous size, 15% alcohol only appears a bit warm on the finish even if it singes the nostrils a bit. Wouldn't call this Barolo, but it's something. All power without an ounce of grace. It's like a bad stereotype of machoism. Played terribly at the table even with a decant compared to a 3 day old over achieving French Malbec at a third the price. At this point, can't see rating the 90+ rating. Maybe an 89 if I'm being objective and forgiving? There is potential for this to become organized. Being this is the first Altare I've had, not an advertisement for future purchases. Another testament that the presses treatment of the "Barolo Wars" being over and everyone is cool with barriques as a joke. This wine is like a cousin of Barolo but not the genuine article. Hold for another 7 at least and maybe it integrates but I'm not holding my breath. It does pose the question of how long of tasting an "oak frame' before you start to realize this is a coffin? I guess only time will tell.
Day 2: more stewed fruit, less power. More heat on the finish which lingers. Power and length with less power. Not a promising second act. 88
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3/6/2018 - Joe Kane wrote:
Serralunga Cru, Been open for 5 minutes and still super tight. Will have to revisit later. Even so, really fine tannins, and classic tar and sour cherry palate. This wine will be unreal after decanting.
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3/6/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Smells great. Particuarally after I've wiped it through my hair. With structure and so much more. That works it out.
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2/26/2018 - Andre Brattland wrote: 94 Points
Denne vinen overrasker meget positivt i den litt varmere 2011-årgangen der vinrankene fra Serralunga er ganske så unge, bare 15 år gamle. Vinen vinifiseres på samme måte som Cannubi-vinen og det lages ca 5000 flasker av denne vinen.
Vinen er rik og tyngre på nesen med mørkere preg på frukten med plommer, lakris, røyk og med et fint trevirke. På paletten er vinen konsentrert og oppleves som stor og med et fint bløtt anslag der mørkere røde bær, lær, lakris og faste tanniner konkurrerer sterkt med en sylfersk Bordeaux om å være det flotteste følge til sommerens blodige biffer. Og ja – jeg sa den kommende sommeren. Vinen er faktisk overraskende tilgjengelig nå, og vil ikke gjøre skamme på kjøttmåltidet. Selvfølgelig har vinen fint et 10-15 års lagringspotensiale, men er nok ikke for det lange løpet. 94 poeng.
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11/13/2017 - Yagil wrote: 93 Points
Excellent masculin tannic structured complexed Barolo
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6/9/2014 - MWiking wrote: 93 Points
A powerful wine with alot of tanins, alot of spices,, dark, dark dark fruit needs mor time then the other 2011 from Altare we tried, to open up,
The wine has roses, licorice, fat fruit, minerals, and the aftertaste is very long.
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5/23/2014 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 94 Points
På besök hos Elio Altare. Alltid lika trevligt att besöka Silvia Altare.
Ett besök som verkligen rekommenderas.
Detta vin provades från fat.
Detta vin är lite kraftfullare och mer rustikt än både Arborina, Brunate och Cannubi. Den har precis om de andra denna underbara rena frukt, men med lite mörkare toner, lakrits och tobak. Även i smaken lite mer rustikt och lite mörkare kraftfullare frukt. Underbar längd med bra tryck
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5/23/2014 - Ramberg wrote: 96 Points
Tasted from tank at the winery.
Here we go again.
2011 killer nose!
This is a bit bigger, deeper and more “dangerous” than the previous wines tasted.
Darker fruit, still with primarily the fantastic raspberries, flowers, licorice, animal tones and some tar.
On the palate this offers lovely delicious creamy fat fruit, raspberries, strawberries, red berries, chalky minerals.
This is a big wine in its thru meaning, but still delicate and transparent and feminine.
Super long finish, with great punch!
(95 – 97)
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