2004 Elio Altare Barolo Brunate
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Tasting notes
A wine of vertical explosiveness and towering structure, the 2004 Barolo Brunate is pure Brunate to the core. The flavors are bold, exotic and enticing, with seemingly endless layers of nuance that open up over time. Plums, black cherries, leather, smoke, tobacco, rose petal and orange peel meld into a super-expressive finish, where hints of lavender and white pepper add an utterly beguiling top register. Readers who want to understand what Brunate is all about should check out Altare's 2004. What a fabulous wine this is.
Critic scores
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Elio Altare might not get the best fruit from the Brunate vineyard but he consistently makes what is arguably the reference-point wine from this historic site. His 2004 Barolo Brunate is a deeply-colored effort that bursts from the glass with an exciting array of violets, plums, black cherries and baking spices that complement a core of sweet, perfumed fruit. This exquisite, layered Barolo offers extraordinary elegance and a long, building finish that lasts forever. Once again Altare has produced a masterpiece.
Elio Altare might not get the best fruit from the Brunate vineyard but he consistently makes what is arguably the reference-point wine from this historic site. His 2004 Barolo Brunate is a deeply-colored effort that bursts from the glass with an exciting array of violets, plums, black cherries and baking spices that complement a core of sweet, perfumed fruit. This exquisite, layered Barolo offers extraordinary elegance and a long, building finish that lasts forever. Once again Altare has produced a masterpiece. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024. With his characteristic modesty Elio Altare told me 2005 was not a great vintage for him. “The harvest had to be timed perfectly, if we had waited just a few more hours the fruit would have been over-ripe,” says Altare. “2004, on the other hand was perfect. We were able to do several passes in the vineyards, picking each bunch at the optimal level of ripeness. In the cellar we did an absolute minimum of racking. The wines literally made themselves.” A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300, Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700, and Estate Wines, Ltd., San Rafael, CA; tel. (415) 492-9411
Good full medium red. Sexy aromas of raspberry, brown spices, mocha and truffle. Youthfully imploded today and distinctly high-pitched, but this opened spectacularly with air to show sappy raspberry and spice flavors and terrific delineation. This extremely long, slow-building wine expanded impressively in the glass, finishing with great verve and persistence. A wine of uncommon energy, and a superb example of this top site. I recall Altare telling me years ago that his Arborina was an excellent premier cru but not a grand cru. He bemoaned not working with a grand cru, but that was before he was able to make Brunate via a rental arrangement.