i appreciate the costs of the wines, Lee, lurker
"Bi!!" > wrote in message
...
>I was invited to a small private tasting of the wines of Elio Altare
> yesterday as this was my first tasting of these wines I had a little
> notion of what they were about but was really stunned by the wines. I
> made some cursory notes. Clearly Elio Altare's time in Burgundy is
> reflected in his wines and while modern in style these wines really
> showed the underlying structure of what Nebbiolo can be while
> balancing the fruit, tannins and acid into a beautifully well rounded
> wine that can stand some age.
>
> We started with two non-Barolo
>
> 2011 Dolcetto d'Alba-Very deep purple inthe glass. Nose of ripe
> berries. Plump and juicy with a nice tannic grip and acidity to
> balance the intensisty. Perhaps the besst Dolcetto I've tasted.
> Fruity and fun and a great buy for just under $20.
>
> 2010 Barbera d'Alba- As expected a bit more stuffing and grip than the
> Dolcetto but still a very expressive wine with plenty of blackberry,
> sage like herbal notes, firm tannins for just under $30
>
> The Barolos
>
> 2007 Barolo (La Morra) This bottle was slightly corked and some fot it
> more than others. My impression was mushroom and red fruits on the
> nose, The wine still showed the purity and clarity of the fruit with
> out being overwhelmingly flabby.
>
> 2007 Barolo Arborina-WOW. This wine really popped. Dark red in the
> glass, medium bodied. Powerful aromas, tar, truffle, mint cherries
> and berries. Rich on the palate with abundant fruit and layers of
> complexity. Still a baby it was a bit tannic but clearly ten years
> will turn this into a real beauty.
>
> 2005 Barolo Ceretta-Incredible finesse and power in a wine with ample
> fruit and ripeness. A bit lighter in color than the Arborina but a
> very complex nose of anise, mint, flowers blackberries and black
> cherries. Much more elegant than the Arborina at this point. My
> favorite of the bunch.
>
> The Bianco:
>
> 2009Altare Campogrande Cinque Terra- We actually finished with
> Altare's white wine from Liguria. A blend of Bosco and Albarola this
> was the most interesting wine of the day. Pale golden, firm and tight
> it was recommended that we decant the wine then we let it sit in the
> glass through the tasting. Flinty, mineral driven a bit of lime and
> citrus. Really cool wine but at $65 it didn't interest me that much.
>
>