2009 Barolo La Morra

Lightish ruby with brick tones. Sweet dried red fruit, leather, cherry. Fine grained but very dry tannins. Quite austere in its structure at the moment. Fresher on the palate than I expected from the aroma. Rather unyielding just now. (JH)

The 2009 Barolo shows remarkable harmony and balance. Fruit is sourced from La Morra, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d’Alba and this makes for a beautiful combination of power and elegance. Wild berry, black fruit, tar, garden herb and spice characterize the bouquet. In the mouth, the wine displays fine tannins and a perfectly polished feel. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. Elio Altare is never a man to mince words. He tells the rags-to-riches story of Barolo with conviction, passion and firsthand knowledge. La Morra went from having a handful of farmers (five or six) back in the early 1970s to dozens of estates today. Back then, grape growers were considered so low in social rank, many could not find local women to marry. They imported wives from poorer regions of southern Italy, like Calabria and Basilicata, to live in the Langhe. “C’era la fame qui,” he says. (“We were starving.”) From his panoramic porch overlooking the Frazione Annunziata section of La Morra, he sighs, “Just look at us now.” He tells the story of his first trip to France: “It blew my mind that producers in Burgundy were buying Porsches and yachts with just a few hectares of vine while we were dirt poor.” Highly influenced by that trip (his use of French barrique for aging Nebbiolo is a prime example), Altare returned to Italy and vowed to shake things up. He most certainly did. Various American importers, including: Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300; Estate Wines, San Rafael, CA; tel. (415) 492-9411

The 2009 Barolo has serious depth and power. The aromatics and fruit have the radiance and openness of the warm year, but then the young Nebbiolo tannins kick in. As appealing as the 2009 is, readers are best served cellaring the wine for at least a few years. A sensual, floral-infused finish rounds things out nicely. The Barolo is made principally from vineyards in Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga.