2021 Larigi

Silvia Altare and longtime cellarmaster Tes Cyo presented a gorgeous set of wines. Altare is among the handful of estates that have successfully handled the generational transition, often the biggest challenge for family-owned wineries in Piedmont. Silvia Altare has retained her father’s style while adding greater precision and nuance to the wines. Altare describes 2020 as a year with a normal flowering at the outset that was later extended by cold weather and rain. The Nebbiolo harvest took place from September 20 to October 8, so on the early side at the start.

Altare opted to do three passes in each vineyard instead of the more typical two. The Barolos were fermented in rotary tanks for about five days, with the exception of the Cannubi, which was fermented in a smaller tank, with manual pumpovers and punchdowns because of the smaller volume of juice. Aging was done in French oak barrique, about 20-25% new. In 2020, Altare did not bottle her Barolo Cerretta, as she did not feel the wine was up to Riserva standards. Instead, that wine was blended into the straight Barolo.