2017 Elio Altare Barbera d'Alba

Community Tasting Notes (12) Avg Score: 87.3 points

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  9/13/2020 - pigdaddy wrote: 88 Points

  decanted for notable sediment, a quick pull from the cellar. as a fan of Altare, this is maybe too ripe for me (says the guy who drank Janasse chateaneuf last night), there's heat on the gums & the alcohol is present throughout. it's clearly well-made by a producer that generally over-delivers barbera for me, just hotter tonight. despite that, barbera & pizza always excellent.
  
  pizza w/calabrian sausage, fior di latte, grilled red onions

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  8/1/2020 - Rob Hansult Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Deep ruby with purple.
  Nose > Tremendous fruit. Huge, sappy, aromatic & pungent.
  Base of ripe red fruit, complexed by waves of blue, black & purple fruit.
  Wild & choke cherry, violet, black & red raspberry, lavender, blueberry, sumac & licorice.
  Very ripe, but ultra focussed & sappy.
  Palate > Very big, very rich, but also fairly tightly clenched with wild red fruit, great acidity & med+ dry extract.
  Again, rich, sappy, ripe red fruit is the main vein, with tons of wild blue, black & purple in the swirl.
  Fresh, bright, sappy & rich.
  Some slightly grippy oak tannins kick in on the back palate, all the while buffered by saturated by wild berry fruit, violet, lavender, sumac & licorice.
  Its 15% ABV buffered & hidden down under the avalanche of fruit.
  Great balance. Med+ intensity. High, balanced, ripe acidity. Great length.
  Really pulls you back for another sniff & sip.
  The core of rich, ripe red fruit becomes even more intense with air.
  Almost in league with some of the top & single vineyard Barbera. Insanely great QPR @$25 or less.

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  7/5/2020 - guitarkim wrote: 87 Points

  Quite big and powerful, but still very tight. Needs time.
  
  Ripe fruit and oak on the nose. Full-bodied -, with very good acidity and supporting tannins. Sweet, concentrated and tight in the mouth. Good length. 15% vol is noticeable, but not too problematic.
  
  Still young and tight. And a bit too much alcohol, extraction oak for my taste, but it might come together after some years in the cellar

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  3/6/2020 - Rob Hansult Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Pop'n Pour. Beautifully deep ruby red, with magenta.
  Nose > Big, exotic wild, red, sappy black & blue fruit dance for dominance. Red, wild & choke cherry swirl with violet, lavender, licorice & sumac all in the soup. Tips closer to wild & blue/black fruit.
  Impressively aromatic & complex.
  Palate > Big, rich & tight, with great acidity. Med+ intensity of all that sappy, wild, red, blue & black fruit the nose teases & pleases with, & adds fresh red & black plum & a ton of choke cherry.
  Some oak adds tannin, binds & marries the tight, rich, intense fruit; again tinges toward the firm, fresh wild, blue & black over red.
  Finishes with bright fresh fruit & acidity, & some med, grippy oak tannins, bound together with wild & choke cherry, violet & lavender. Absolutely no signs of heat from the 15% ABV.
  Impressive intensity, complexity, length, & finish.
  Altogether impressive Barbera already, & will improve with time or air.
  (92+)
  
  With 2+ hours air, adds lush, round, ripe, rich, creamy, sweet red & black raspberry, red & black cherry, on top of & intertwined with its core of fresh, sappy wild & black fruit.

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  12/6/2019 - FjordogFjell wrote: 85 Points

  Søtere enn årgang 2016. Litt for mye av det gode. 2 dager i åpen flaske: sødmefylt dunderfrukt, blåplomme, alkohol-sødme, fast og frisk avslutning.

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