2005 Barolo Brunate

Elio Altare's 2005s are even better today than when they were first released. The 2005s offer luxurious fruit underpinned by the structure of the vintage, all shaped by Altare's mind and spirit into a group of truly special wines. There are a few addresses I consider musts for getting to know what Piedmont and Barolo are all about. This is one of them. Altare describes 2005 as a year with a damp spring but generally favorable conditions until the 20th of August, when swaths of hail fell on Castiglione Falletto, Monforte and Dogliani. Hail appeared again towards the end of the month. According to Altare, the fruit was on the edge of overripeness, with the skins pushed to the maximum.

Altare's 2006 crop was cut back sharply by late-August hail and severe selection at harvest time. In fact, there's no Brunate '06, and Altare declassified his Arborina fruit into his classico. Of particular interest here is Altare's new Cerretta Barolo, from a rented vineyard in Serralunga that was replanted eight years ago. I thought the 2005 version, the first vintage for this bottling, was impressive for its combination of power and perfume, but Altare assured me that the 2006 will be even better. (Marc de Grazia; numerous importers, including Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; Robert Houde Wines, Bensenville, IL; and Estate Wines Ltd., San Rafael, CA)

It is always fascinating to spend some time with Elio Altare. My most recent visit was no exception, as we tasted through every vintage of his Barbera Larigi from 1985 to 2008. When Altare began radically shortening fermentation times and using French oak in the mid-1980s, one of the oft-heard criticisms of the wines is that they wouldn't age, a hypotheses that has soundly proven to be false. Our tasting ended with the 1994 Langhe Arborina, a wine from a modest vintage that saw a mere 40 hours of contact with the skins and that is still gorgeous, fresh and intact. I will be posting notes on the Larigi vertical on this site. In the meantime, readers will find much to admire in these beautiful 2005 Barolos, which are among the highlights of the vintage. Unfortunately the 2006 harvest was much less kind, so fans of Altare's wines will want to consider these 2005 Barolos carefully.