Barolo DOCG 2018

Giuseppe Altare's grandfather arrived in La Maura in 1948. The Altare family comes from the town of Dolani, and the farm was acquired in La More only in the last century. Then they owned only five hectares, on which the vineyards of Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto grew, as well as peaches, apple trees and hazel trees. These were the times when fruit orchards were more profitable than vineyards. Life was not easy - the post-war economic crisis lasted for many years. Elio Altare and his friends decided to venture outside of Piedmont to learn more about the art of winemaking and gain experience in the best wine regions. The first trip to Burgundy in January 1976 was a real discovery, and when he returned home, Elio realized that change was essential. He was not afraid of this: Elio took up the chainsaw like a knight's sword. First, he cut down fruit trees, and then chopped up large wine barrels in the cellar for firewood. So he made room for his first new French-style wooden barrel - the barrique. Elio's father, Giovanni, did not understand him. The son's radical methods were too different from his way of thinking. Giovanni, being a representative of a generation that survived the hungry years, could not come to terms with the decisions of his son - he considered his actions a crime against reason and the Italian traditions of winemaking. The disagreement was so serious that Giovanni and Elio stopped talking. Giovanni died in 1985, deleting Elio from his will. Despite this, Elio continued to work and over time bought the family winery and vineyards from his brothers and sisters. Elio remained adamant back then, and he still is today. He was determined to change the direction of the development of the winery and create a family wine with a new character, giving preference to elegance, sophistication and balance of taste. Elio achieved this by observing a strict regime in his vineyards, as well as by introducing new techniques of vinification and aging in the wine cellar. The family still owns and operates the farm. Elio cultivates 10 hectares of vineyards and produces approximately 70,000 bottles of wine. Since 2003, the elder daughter Sylvia has helped his father, and the younger daughter has moved to Germany, where she runs a wine importing company.

Nebbiolo wines tipically have rich, but elegant tannins, high acidity and unic scent – often characterized as "roses and tar". After a few years of vintage, most Nebbiolo wines begin fading from intensive ruby to a glorious brick orange color and developing flavors of mushroom, moss, leather and black pepper.

Barolo wines are the best Nebbiolo can offer - they are luxurious and sophisticated. At young age these wines show uncontrollable temper with sharp and high tannins and almost searing acidity, though already noticeable aromas of violets, red currant and licorice. With age the wine bouquet acquires the wealth and fullness deprived in its youth as the taste becomes more rounded, adding peppery tones and shades of red berries, but the aromas are replaced by flavors of tobacco, leather and tar. Barolo wines are worth saving for important occasions - they are excellent even after 20 years of aging.

Translated from Italian Piemonte means ''the foot of the mountain" which is evident by the location of the region - it rests near the Alps which protect the region from cold winds. Nebbiolo is the king of grapes here - this exceptional variety is ideal for the production of wines with a high potential for aging like, for example, the world-famous fruity and balanced Barolo and Barbaresco.