2004 Barolo Brunate

What a pleasure it is to check in on Elio Altare's 2004s, all of which have held up brilliantly. That is not especially surprising, though, as Altare's wines have historically aged very well, as I learned once again in a historic tasting going back to the early 1980s that I took part a few months back. We will be publishing notes from that afternoon in the near future. In the meantime, readers who own the 2004s are going to be thrilled. These wines are superb.

With his characteristic modesty Elio Altare told me 2005 was not a great vintage for him. “The harvest had to be timed perfectly, if we had waited just a few more hours the fruit would have been over-ripe,” says Altare. “2004, on the other hand was perfect. We were able to do several passes in the vineyards, picking each bunch at the optimal level of ripeness. In the cellar we did an absolute minimum of racking. The wines literally made themselves.”

I caught up with Elio Altare on his birthday, and in the middle of his 41st harvest. He was in a contemplative mood, taking a leisurely half hour to draw a distinction between the true vigneron who physically works the land and has nowhere else to go and the new breed of merchants who buy into an area, use up the land, and then move on to the next hot thing. Reluctantly, I had to remind him that I would also love to taste his wines. Altare considers the 2004 Barolos to be complete wines, comparing them to the '96s in acidity. "There was never a problem with these wines," said Altare, adding that the Barolos were racked only four times prior to being bottled in August of this year. In comparison, he went on, the 2001s are sturdier and "very Barolo," while the 2000s are "more like pinot noir. " (Like many of his colleagues in Barolo, Altare is a long-time Burgundy lover. ) Altare succeeded in 2003 by carrying out what he described as four harvests. "The sugars were already 14% in August, but there wasn't enough color and the tannins were still green," he told me. Eventually, he picked his Arborina vines over a period of three weeks, from September 7 through 27. "No fruit, not even peaches or apples, is all ripe at the same time. We took this very seriously in 2003. " (Marc de Grazia; numerous importers, including Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; and Estate Wines Ltd. , San Rafael, CA)