2001 Barolo Brunate
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Tasting notes
Concentrated maturing ruby with bricky rim. Sweetly perfumed but full nose and a still amazingly youthful palate. Animating, gripping ripe tannins pushing the ripe but compact fruit. Super stylish. (WS)
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2001 Barolo Brunate is thrilling. Rich, round and totally seamless, the Brunate is another wine whose best days lie ahead. Dark red cherries, plums, spices and menthol flesh out beautifully on the mid-palate and finish. The Brunate remains young. It can be enjoyed today, but it is really in need of further cellaring for those who appreciate the full breadth of what Nebbiolo can offer. I can't wait to taste this again in a few years.
The 2001 Barolo Brunate is thrilling. Rich, round and totally seamless, the Brunate is another wine whose best days lie ahead. Dark red cherries, plums, spices and menthol flesh out beautifully on the mid-palate and finish. The Brunate remains young. It can be enjoyed today, but it is really in need of further cellaring for those who appreciate the full breadth of what Nebbiolo can offer. I can’t wait to taste this again in a few years. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2026. Elio Altare describes 2001 as a strong vintage with an early September rain that arrived at just the right moment. Over the years I have had the privilege to taste just about every wine made here. I have always been impressed with the ageworthiness of Altare’s Baroli, and his other wines, too, to tell the truth. These 2001 Baroli are all exceptional. I am thrilled to have a few bottles left. Various American importers, including Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300, Estate Wines Ltd., San Rafael, CA; tel.(415) 492-9411; Robert Houde Wines, Elk Grove Village, IL; tel. (847) 430-3887
Altare's 2001 Barolo Brunate adds one more layer of complexity, with notes of licorice, eucalyptus and menthol on the nose, flavors of dark cherries and plums, and softer, more elegant tannins than the Arborina. There is much evolution in the glass and this exquisite wine offers a never-ending finish. It is a superb effort that is consistently among the very finest wines of the region. With a tiny production of around 1,800 bottles Altare's Brunate is surely one of Piedmont, make that Italy's, top cult wines.