2012 Larigi

Elio Altare fans should take note. The lineup of 2011s will exist only in this vintage. Two thousand eleven marks the last year of Altare's Brunate and the first of Cannubi, so it is the one and only vintage the estate made wines from both sites. In addition, the new Unoperuno is a selection made from hand-destemmed Arborina fruit. I was quite taken with the wines I tasted on my last visit. The 2011 Barolos are quite open, while the 2012 Langhes are solid across the board. Elio Altare is one of the most meticulous keepers of records I know. He and his daughter Sylvia are quick to point out that although 2011 is regarded as a warm, early-ripening year, the actual length of the growing season as measured by the number of days from flowering to ripening is very much within normal parameters. As always, the Altare Barolos are built on fruit and texture. Short macerations and aging in French oak are standard. Still, those are details, because Altare is the only grower I know who consistently makes wines of this level using the concepts of the modern school in Barolo. That suggests there are other factors that drive quality, and I suspect most of them end and start in the vineyard.