2004 Barolo Vigneto Arborina
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Tasting notes
Altare’s 2004 Langhe Arborina is sublime. Made from Altare’s parcel in the Arborina vineyard and aged 12 months in oak, it presents a dazzling array of flowers, spices, ripe fruit and sweet toasted oak, all delicately woven into a soft-textured frame of extraordinary delicacy, with notable length on the palate, and fine, silky tannins to round out the finish. Hard to resist now, it will be even better with a few years of cellaring. The stunning 2004 Langhe Arborina is not to be missed. It is a wonderful harbinger of Altare’s 2004 Barolos, which have been magnificent on the occasions I’ve sampled them from barrel. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2019. Antonio Galloni, In the Cellar # GX Apr 2007
Critic scores
Average Score
The Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2004 Barolo Arborina is a surprisingly super-ripe, concentrated and soft-textured wine loaded with sweet fruit. It offers outstanding length and ripe tannins in a very seductive style of Barolo. Three bottles have shown some degree of variation, suggesting the wine is still acquiring its balance after its bottling this summer. Altare says the very low levels of SO2 in the Barolo Arborina probably contribute to the wine’s “flatness.” I didn’t pick up on a flat quality in the wine, but the Arborina is decidedly less fresh and vibrant than the two other 2004 Barolos. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2022. Dec 2007, www.robertparker.com