2019 L'Alberello
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Tasting notes
The 2019 L'Alberello is savory, inviting, and rich with a perfume of graphite, blackberry, black cherry, and polished leather. The wine is structured and long, with fantastic purity, and is ripe with cherry and redcurrant, striking a wonderful balance between energetic freshness and richness. This incredible wine casts a very fashionable light on the Cabernet Franc component, which shines through in the blend. Drink 2024-2040. I met with Luca Marrone, chief winemaker for ColleMassari Wine Estates, for the first time in person this past November, having previously been restricted to Zoom meetings during the height of the pandemic. My visit to the Bolgheri estate was long anticipated and did not disappoint. Grattamacco was founded in 1977 by Piermario Meletti Cavallari (Giorgio Meletti Cavallari’s father). Luca is one of the more thoughtful and exciting winemakers, producing compelling wines with remarkable focus and transparency of place across each of the regions. Today, they have 32 hectares of vines, predominantly of Cabernet Sauvignon, along with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, and a small amount of Petit Verdot. They also have the oldest Vermentino vines in Bolgheri, and the white wines hold an important place in the range. Touring the winery, they have a collection of some of the first open-tank barrels that Sassicaia used in their first vintage in 1968, which they continue to use, and they are an important part of informing their wines today. The following wines were tasted exclusively at the winery.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2019 Bolgheri Superiore L’Alberello is another fabulous wine from Grattamacco. Effusive and light on its feet, the 2019 impresses with its striking balance and poise. Crushed flowers, dark red berry fruit, incense and spice open gradually, but it’s the wine's total sense of harmony that carries the day. Silky, polished tannins wrap it all together.
A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Bolgheri Superiore l'Alberello is a special expression of place. The wine is born in a two-hectare plot that is entirely planted to long rows of alberello (bush-trained) vines at a low 30 meters above sea level with predominately clay soils. Fermentation occurs in stainless steel, and the wine ages in barrique for a standard 18 months. This vintage is very generous and broad in terms of aroma and texture, with finely polished tannins. There are in fact two phases to this wine: a creamy start and a silky end. It shows impressive length and polish. With very low yields of one kilo of fruit per plant, that means each vine makes one bottle of wine. Total production is 9,000 bottles.
About the producer
Grattamacco’s story begins when Piermario Meletti Cavallari purchased an abandoned vineyard in 1977 and grafted over many of the vines. He produced one of the earliest Super Tuscans in 1982 – a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese and a wine which continues to earn acclaim today.