Elio Altare Revisited: 1970 – 1991

"The idea that a Barolo should be undrinkable in its
youth and that a consumer should have to wait twenty years for the wine to be
great is ridiculous,” says Elio Altare,…and so begins what will turn out to be
a memorable day.

Though only in his mid-fifties, Altare is preparing for what
will be his 40th harvest in 2006.&nbsp; Along
the way he has had a profound impact in the region and influenced an entire
generation of younger winemakers.&nbsp; In the
late 1970s Altare and a group of young local producers traveled to Burgundy in
a series of trips that would ultimately lead to a redefinition of Barolo.&nbsp; Altare recalls that at the time Barolo was
made from high yields with little attention paid in the vineyards.&nbsp; The wines saw long periods of maceration on
the skins and were then often aged in attics, where they were exposed to violent
swings in temperature that resulted in the premature oxidation of the
wines.&nbsp; In addition many producers did
not pay adequate attention to cleanliness in the cellar and dirty barrels were
often the root cause of defective, flawed wines.&nbsp; Altare wanted to make a more elegant, and
accessible Barolo, with the finesse of the wines he was tasting in
Burgundy.&nbsp; He sought to convince his
father to adopt some of the techniques he had seen in Burgundy such as lower
yields in the vineyards and barriques in the cellar, but to no avail.

In 1983 Altare, in a now famous story, took a chainsaw to
his father’s old botti.&nbsp; For this act he
was disinherited and the family estate passed to his sisters, something unheard
of in the male-dominated society of the time.&nbsp;
Fortunately Altare’s sisters recognized his passion and had the
foresight to restore the estate to him.&nbsp;

Throughout the 1980s Altare experimented with shorter and
shorter fermentations and introduced the use of barriques.&nbsp; Altare’s 1982 Barolo (see below) was aged
entirely in cask.&nbsp; The profound 1985
Barolo Arborina (see Piedmont Report Issue
5) represents a transitional style, as the wine was aged in a mix of cask and
barrique, but by 1987 the Altare style as we know it had been formed.&nbsp; Along the way Altare endured the criticisms
of those who decried his approach and claimed the wines would age
prematurely.&nbsp; Today there can be no doubt
that the wines have held up well.&nbsp; In
fact, in some cases the wines have actually aged better than more traditional
interpretations, proving that quality is a measure of a producer’s seriousness
rather than just a reflection of the tools used.

Though outspoken on many issues, Altare remains humble
when it comes to his wines.&nbsp; As he picked
out older bottles for us to taste from his personal collection Altare told me
matter-of-factly “I’m sure there will be some duds among these bottles.” I
fully expected the Barolos from the great 1982 and 1989 vintages to be
outstanding, and they were, but the 1987 and 1991, from much less-heralded
vintages, were equally brilliant.&nbsp; I was
also stunned by the strong showing of the Nebbiolo and Dolcetto bottlings from
1990.&nbsp; I think Altare himself was quite
surprised how well some of his early wines have held up, saying “I don’t get a
chance to try these wines that often myself, so this is a great treat for me as
well.”

1970 Barolo—This
is about the furthest away you could get from Elio Altare’s wines stylistically
and still be talking about Barolo.&nbsp; The
wine shows an advanced ruby color with brownish tones.&nbsp; At first the nose is a bit musty, with aromas
of earth, mushrooms and forest floor, but with some air a lovely, mature Barolo
emerges, showing evolved aromas of tobacco, spices, licorice and herbs, with
expansive, sweet, perfumed fruit in a soft, delicate style, with outstanding
balance.&nbsp; Although Altare was working at
the estate at the time, this is clearly his father’s wine, and very much in the
traditional style.&nbsp; “It’s been a few
years since I’ve tried this wine and I am amazed at how well it is
showing.&nbsp; I really did make my father
suffer,” says Altare, perhaps with a slight bit of nostalgia.&nbsp; What an amazing way to start the
morning.&nbsp; 91/drink now-, 11/05

1982 Barolo—The
1982 Barolo, from one of the all-time great vintages, does not disappoint.&nbsp; It displays a lively medium-ruby color, and
sweet red fruit, mineral, menthol on a delicate, yet classic frame with
excellent structure and a lot of elegance.&nbsp;
Though ready to drink today, this Barolo is still youthful and full of
life, with a beautiful, invitingly fresh finish.&nbsp; This saw 21 day of maceration (then
considered shorter than normal) and was aged entirely in cask.&nbsp; It is a wine that brilliantly bridges
tradition with modernism.&nbsp; “I think back
to this wine’s youth, when it was so tannic, it was essentially undrinkable,”
says Altare, “and yet today it is very beautiful.”&nbsp; I think what I would give to have a cellar
full of this Barolo.&nbsp; 94/drink 2006-,
11/05

1984 Barolo Arborina—Medium
evolved ruby.&nbsp; The nose offers mature
aromas of tobacco, spices, and licorice, followed by stewed prune flavors on a
delicate, medium-bodied frame of modest depth.&nbsp;
Though ready to drink, this Barolo still shows the signature
slightly-hard tannins of Arborina, proving that a vineyard’s inherent
characteristics will always come through.&nbsp;
This is the only wine of the tasting that appeared tired, and with it
its best days in the past, it is a wine for current consumption.&nbsp; 88/drink now-, 11/05

1987 Barolo—Lively
medium ruby.&nbsp; The superb 1987 displays a
perfumed, aromatic nose of flowers, spices, and vanilla, with more prominent
toasted oak aromas than the preceding vintages.&nbsp;
On the palate it offers the vibrant red fruit so typical of La Morra
Barolos with modest depth, but much overall elegance and freshness.&nbsp; Like other first-rate 1987s I have had
recently, this wine is an over-achiever.&nbsp;
What it may lack in complexity it more than makes up for in its sheer
drinkability and the pure pleasure it delivers.&nbsp;
By 1987 the signature Altare style is clearly in place.&nbsp; This saw 6 days of maceration and
fermentation, and was aged entirely in barrique.&nbsp; “In 1987 I waited to harvest perhaps a bit
too long.&nbsp; On the day were supposed to
start picking it started to rain and did not stop for three days.&nbsp; As a result, I did not make a Barolo
Arborina, and that fruit ended up in the normale,” explains Altare.&nbsp; A great choice for drinking today, this wine
also shows no signs of fading.&nbsp; 93/drink
2006-, 11/05

1988 Barolo—Lively
dark ruby.&nbsp; Though not especially
expressive on the nose, the 1988 is a classic Barolo, showing layers of sweet
dark red fruit with the structure and freshness typical of the vintage.&nbsp; While attractive, it doesn’t quite have the
captivating balance of the very finest wines, and still appears to be very much
on the young side.&nbsp; This bottle was a bit
reduced and did not improve with air.&nbsp;
Cleaner bottles might merit an additional 1-2 points.&nbsp; 89+?/after 2008-, 11/05

1989 Barolo—Medium
ruby.&nbsp; The 1989 Barolo is a breathtaking
wine.&nbsp; It opens with a beautiful aromatic
nose, followed by perfumed sweet red fruit that blossoms on the palate with
incredible depth, expansiveness and purity of expression.&nbsp; With some air lovely nuances of licorice,
mineral and tobacco gradually appear completing this magnificent effort, which
closes with an eternal finish.&nbsp; An
extraordinary and unforgettable wine, and easily one of the best Barolos I have
ever had from Altare.&nbsp; This is just
entering its maturity and well-stored bottles will have at least another decade
of prime drinking ahead of them.&nbsp;
95/drink now-, 11/05

1990 Nebbiolo delle
Langhe—Light red.&nbsp; The Nebbiolo is
one of the great surprises of this tasting.&nbsp;
It is a soft, open wine showing sweet red fruit, menthol, licorice
spices and vanilla on a medium-bodied frame of exquisite balance and
grace.&nbsp; In a great vintage like 1990 and
in the capable hands of Elio Altare this wine is elevated to an unexpectedly
high level of elegance.&nbsp;&nbsp; It comes across
as a mini-Barolo of sorts, providing all of the classic notes in a more subdued
manner, and offering incredible drinking pleasure.&nbsp; “This is a simple Nebbiolo I used to make
from young vines in a plot I rented years ago,” says Altare, although there is
nothing ‘simple’ about this wine.&nbsp;
91/drink now-, 11/05

1990 Dolcetto D’Alba—Medium
violet.&nbsp; Conventional wisdom says a
fifteen-year-old Dolcetto should be dead, but this bottle, like the Nebbiolo
tasted alongside it, is instead vibrant and full of life.&nbsp; It offers all of the classic Dolcetto notes
of blue/black fruit and minerals, but with a more attenuated, hushed
personality, along with more evolved notes of tobacco and white truffles that
provide balance.&nbsp; There is an
irresistible, ethereal sweetness to the fruit, as well great length on the
palate which make this wine a sheer joy to taste.&nbsp; A superb achievement.&nbsp; 91/drink now-, 11/05

1991 Barolo—Medium
ruby.&nbsp; The 1991 Barolo, from a vintage
long forgotten by most, is another strong effort.&nbsp; It opens with a perfumed nose of spices,
vanilla and toasted oak followed by sweet red fruit, with excellent persistence
and finesse as well as well as notable freshness on the long finish.&nbsp; This is the third bottle of this wine I have
tasted recently, and the flavors are just now starting to show the early signs
of maturity.&nbsp; 90/ drink now-, 11/05

—Antonio Galloni&nbsp;&nbsp;

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