Elio Altare Langhe Giarborina 2013

Cellar for up to 9 years. Decant 1 hour before serving.

Elio Altare is regarded as a legendary figure on the Piedmontese wine scene thanks to his maverick transformation of his family’s estate and his encouragement and support of the next generation of young winemakers in the region. After travelling to Burgundy in the 1970s Elio was inspired to adopt a lighter, more elegant approach to winemaking which has firmly cemented the estate’s reputation as a leading Barolo producer.

This elegant Nebbiolo is the most expressive of Elio Altare’s three Langhe Nebbiolos with grapes sourced from the estate’s Arborina vineyard where the oldest vines date back to 1948. To add extra complexity and to soften Nebbiolo’s notoriously high tannins the wine is aged in oak barrels for 14 months.

On the nose there are powerful hints of crushed dark cherries, vanilla and baked earth while the first sip reveals a generous full body, firm tannins, and a very long finish.The well-developed structure of this Nebbiolo make it an excellent partner for red meats like a prime steak or a hearty beef stew. This is also a wine which will respond well to extended cellar ageing and will continue to mature and evolve over the next decade or so.