Elio Altare

Ruby red, lively, slightly spicy bouquet with the typical almond and sour cherry aromas. Juicy, fresh and accessible taste. SUPERIORE.DE

Red berries, fresh flowers and spices on the nose, fresh fruit and silky tannins on the palate. This delicious Barbera is best enjoyed in its youth. SUPERIORE.DE

Clear, precise Nebbiolo with the bouquet of ripe cherries and subtle notes of tobacco. Smooth on the palate, wide and with silky tannin, straight and long the juicy fruit. Pure drinking pleasure! SUPERIORE.DE

"L'Insieme" is a small but concrete project of oeno-solidarity. Only seven winegrowers from the Langhe region have come together to support concrete solidarity projects every year with part of the proceeds. Members include Elio Altare, Gianfranco Alessandria, Giuliano Corino, Federico Grasso, Giulio e Paolo Morando, Lorenzo Revello and Mauro Veglio. Under the label of the same name (L'Insieme: together, together, together), wine producers support solidarity projects around the world with 5 euros per bottle. To date, almost 500,000 euros have been donated in this way and a total of 42 major projects have been supported.

The deep dark L'Insieme combines the typical Langa grapes (Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto) with the racy spice of Cabernet. A wine with a firm, strong structure, harmoniously rounded tannins, delicate melting and a nice finish. SUPERIORE.DE

La Villa is a blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera grapes with a wide bouquet of sour cherries and violets, in the taste of which all the components are precisely measured. Good fruit, polished tannin, fine acidity and a spicy finish. SUPERIORE.DE

"A blend of 60% Barbera and 40% Nebbiolo, the 2012 Langhe La Villa sees 18 months in new oak for extra richness and a beautifully plush style. Soft and luscious tones open the bouquet and the wine transitions seamlessly from dark fruit to savory spice. The tannins are round, ripe and well managed." Robert Parker

"The 2012 La Villa, a blend of 60% Larigi Barbera and 40% Arborina Nebbiolo, is superb. Wonderfully alive and nuanced, the 2012 races across the palate with beautifully layered fruit and fabulous overall balance. Dark red cherry, plum, spice and new leather notes meld together in the glass. As is typically the case, the Barbera gives richness and mid-palate, while the Nebbiolo is mostly felt in the wine's aromatics and structure." Antonio Galloni

Langhe Giàrborina (formerly Arborina) smells silky and nuanced, in the glass red cherries, blackberries and meadow flowers. A magnificent Nebbiolo, perfectly balanced, captivatingly elegant and with a promising future. SUPERIORE.DE

"The 2015 Langhe Giàrborina reveals a soft and velvety disposition that is enhanced by layers of fruit, spice and smoke. There is a note of candied cherry or dried blackberry that serves to remind you that this was a warm growing season. The wine is executed in an up-front or accessible style that makes it perfect for grilled meats or succulent meatloaf." Robert Parker

"The 2015 Langhe Giarborina, Altare's 100% Nebbiolo, exudes energy, tension and class. At this early stage, it is quite primary, which is not surprising for a young Giarborina. Readers will have to give the 2015 at least a few years in bottle to allow it to flesh out." Antonio Galloni

La Villa a blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera grapes with a wide bouquet of sour cherries and violets, in whose taste all components are precisely measured. Good fruit, polished tannin, fine acidity and a spicy finish. SUPERIORE.DE

"The 2016 Langhe La Villa is a blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera. This plump, rich and ripe vintage is another good choice for a cheesy pasta dish with its 15% alcohol and solid acidity. The Barbera is what gives the wine its fleshy succulence and freshness, and the Nebbiolo adds the structure and the elegance. The finished product is opulent and dense." Robert Parker

"Opulent and oaky, broad and concentrated, offering vanilla, spice and chocolate notes. Balanced and vibrant, with a long, fruit-, spice- and tar-filled aftertaste." Wine Spectator

"The 2016 La Villa is a blend of 60% Nebbiolo and 40% Barbera, both from Arborina. In this vintage, the weight and texture of Barbera dominate, at least in the early going. Creamy and expansive on the palate, the 2016 La Villa has a lot to offer once it fully comes together. Silky and beautifully perfumed, the 2016 is already quite expressive. It will be interesting to see if time brings a bit more harmony, although the 2016 certainly seems to have a good bit of potential." Vinous

La Villa is a blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera grapes with a wide bouquet of sour cherries and violets, in the taste of which all the components are precisely measured. Good fruit, polished tannin, fine acidity and a spicy finish. SUPERIORE.DE

"The 2015 La Villa, Altare's Barbera/Nebbiolo blend, needs time to fully come together. The interplay of Barbera fruit with Nebbiolo aromatics and structure once again proves to be alluring. Sweet floral notes lead into cedar, anise and bright, red-toned fruits. Silky and energetic on the palate, the 2015 exudes freshness. What surprises me most is the wine's restraint, especially given the natural power of 2015." Antonio Galloni

Langhe Giàrborina (formerly Arborina) smells silky and nuanced, in the glass red cherries, blackberries and meadow flowers. A magnificent Nebbiolo, perfectly balanced, captivatingly elegant and with a promising future. SUPERIORE.DE

"Seeing a short maceration time and only a brief aging period in barrique, the 2016 Langhe Giàrborina offers a rich, plummy and soft approach. The wine is ready to drink right out of the gate with a veal lasagna and bechamel sauce." Robert Parker

"The 2016 Langhe Giarborina is another breathtaking wine from Altare. Soaring aromatics and finely knit fruit are the signatures of an exceptional vintage in which the Altare family captured all the potential of the year. A regal, aristocratic wine, the 2016 has it all. Polished tannins add to the wine's considerable appeal. Above all else, the 2016 Giarborina is a wine of exceptional balance. There is so much to like." Vinous

Dark, concentrated ruby. In the nose plums, mocha, smoke, menthol, spices and some new leather. Clear in the drink, muscular and broad-shouldered. Despite its fullness, it is always precise and clear, the tannins are smooth. The personality of this Barolo from the top locations La Morra, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba inspires us until the long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

"Lustrous ruby. Finely spiced raspberry nose. Elegant, juicy palate and fragrant finish with wonderful tannins. Precise and finely built." Jancis Robinson

"The 2015 Barolo is an absolutely glorious wine. Sensual, silky and polished, the 2015 has so much to offer. Bright red berry fruit is nicely complemented by an array of floral and spiced notes that add nuance. Polished tannins add to the wine's considerable near-term appeal, but the straight Barolo also has a track record here of aging exceptionally well. Vineyard sites include Pernanno, Sarmassa, Rochettevino and Cerretta. Don't miss it." Vinous

"Elio Altare gives me a bit of his winemaker's wisdom: "Wine is like a marriage—it needs to be consummated early." With that in mind, the 2015 Barolo is engineered for near- and medium-term drinking with lots of plump fruit that jumps right out. The wine is open and inviting. Dark fruit is followed by warm tones of tilled earth and cured tobacco. Grapes are harvested from different parcels in four vineyard passes. In 2015, the team had the time to wait for each parcel to mature properly because the harvest was relaxed and spread over more comfortable timing." Robert Parker

Classically composed, perfect introduction to the Altare Nebbiolo Altare from our own vineyards in Barolo, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba. With its modern character (use of barrique), the Elio Altare winery has always been one of those producers whose Barolo seems less hard and brittle when young and rarely beg for more than 10 years of further bottle-ageing.

Deep, dark fruit with a delicacy and complexity that only in the long finish brings the wonderfully fine-grained tannin and power to the palate, which we love so much about wines. This immensely well-structured red from an excellent vintage is already a great pleasure at an early stage and therefore does not necessarily become more accessible with increasing maturity, but rather gains in size, complexity, elegance and finesse. SUPERIORE.DE

"Bright and floral, with lovely aromatic top notes that give the wine energy, the 2016 Barolo is a terrific introduction to the Altare Barolos. Lavender, rose petal, mint, spice and new leather are some of the many notes that grace this silky, mid-weight Barolo." Vinous

"This is a classic interpretation of Nebbiolo that offers beautiful intensity and balance. The bouquet is pure, elegant and direct with highly distinguishable aromas of wild cherry, tobacco, earth and licorice root. It sees two years in used barrique, and this time in wood contributes to the volume and depth of the palate. The wine is almost ready to drink out of the gate, or comfortably within the next 10-year window." Robert Parker

Deep dark ruby. The bouquet is a colourful bouquet of black cherry, elderberry, graphite and a strong cassis note. On the powerful palate again the black fruits, in addition a wonderful balance and freshness with a picture book tannin, which further rounds off the perfect impression. Elio Altare's top location impresses every year, in 2016 a climate change will be added to give the wine an unprecedented structure and multi-dimensionality. SUPERIORE.DE

"The Elio Altare 2016 Barolo Arborina sources its fruit from the family vineyard that surrounds and extends downhill from the higher perch where the Altare winery and home is located in La Morra. The wine exudes darkness and rich concentration with blackberry aromas that are followed by spice, tar and campfire ash. It ages in barrique for two years, and only 20% of that oak is new. These results are open-knit and accessible, revealing velvety texture and black fruit flavors." Robert Parker

"The 2016 Barolo Arborina is one of the most perfumed, gracious wines I have ever tasted from Altare. More than that, the tannins that can be a bit aggressive in young Arborina are wonderfully silky, supple and nuanced. Sweet red cherry, kirsch, spice, wild flowers, mint and white pepper all give the Arborina brilliant top notes. Medium in body and impossibly refined, the 2016 is a stunner, but it is a less obvious wine than it has tended to be in the past." Vinous