Elio Altare's Barolo is a modern-style Nebbiolo from La Morra, fermented in rotary tanks and aged two years in French barrique. Expect raspberry, rose and licorice over soft tannins. Vivino drinkers rate it 4.3 across nearly 7,000 reviews.
Altare ferments in rotary tanks and ages two years in French barrique, giving raspberry, wild rose and licorice over soft tannins, with leather and tar as it opens. Vivino drinkers rate it 4.3 across nearly 7,000 reviews.
Very intense ruby red with garnet reflections, Altare's Barolo opens with the fresh small red fruits the estate describes: raspberry, redcurrant and wild rose, lifting toward licorice and sweet spice. With air the classic Nebbiolo signatures Vivino drinkers single out emerge, tar, leather and tobacco.
Rose petal
Violet
Cherry
Raspberry
Tobacco
Tar
Leather
Liquorice
VanillaWarm and elegant in the modern La Morra manner, with soft, fine-grained tannins framing red-cherry and dried-rose fruit. Twenty-four months in French barrique adds vanilla, oak spice and polish without burying the Nebbiolo, the alcohol a ripe 14.5%.
The close is long and persistent, savoury tar and licorice trailing over the supple tannin, the two years in barrique leaving a fine, spiced grip rather than a hard edge.
A benchmark modernist Barolo from the Altare family in La Morra, rated 4.3 by nearly 7,000 Vivino drinkers. The classic estate blend across four Barolo communes, it drinks earlier than traditional Barolo yet rewards cellaring, the structured 2021 more so than the elegant 2020.
UK listings here cover the 2020 and 2021 vintages at roughly £64 to £69 a bottle, the classic Barolo from the Altare family estate in La Morra.
A benchmark La Morra Barolo near £65, it rates highly for cellaring and special occasions and lower for everyday or beginner drinking: a structured Nebbiolo for the long haul.
A Barolo DOCG with a 38-month ageing mandate and 24 months in barrique, its structured Nebbiolo, the 2021 especially, rewards a decade or more in the cellar.
A benchmark La Morra Barolo from a celebrated modernist estate, it is a prestige bottle suited to landmark meals and special occasions.
Firm tannin and savoury tar pair widely across Piedmont braises, truffle pasta, game and aged cheese, though the structure rules out delicate fish and spicy heat.
A classic Nebbiolo expression, but firm tannin, savoury tar and leather complexity and a £65 price make it a step up rather than a starter red.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Barolo denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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The 2020 is the more elegant, accessible year; the 2021 is concentrated and structured, rated alongside 2010 and 2016. Both are modern-style Barolo built to reward cellaring.
The 2021 is a concentrated, structured Barolo vintage that critics rate alongside modern classics like 2010 and 2016, with vibrant acidity and silky tannin. Give Altare's 2021 a few years and cellar it into the late 2030s and beyond, where the extra structure rewards patience.
The 2020 is the more elegant, accessible Barolo vintage, from a warm but even year with no heat spikes, giving supple texture, lifted aromatics and fine tannin. In Altare's modern, barrique-aged style it can be enjoyed from release, though it will hold comfortably into the late 2030s.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
Elio Altare led the La Morra modernists, swapping long macerations for short ferments in rotary tanks and ageing in French barrique. The classic Barolo blends Nebbiolo from La Morra, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba and Barolo.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Barolo is in the DOCG tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Barolo falls within Piedmont , covering Cuneo, Langhe: Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba, La Morra, Monforte d'Alba, Novello, Verduno, Grinzane Cavour, Diano d'Alba, Cherasco, Roddi. The denomination is further divided into 11 sub-zones.
The wine draws on Altare's parcels of 20 to 30 year old Nebbiolo in some of Barolo's most prized communes, where low yields and high land values set the floor under the roughly £65 price.
Altare ages the Barolo two years in costly French barriques, far beyond a steel-aged red, adding barrel and long cellar cost before a single bottle is released.
The Barolo disciplinare requires at least 38 months ageing before release, tying up the wine and the producer's capital for over three years and lifting the shelf price.
Only about 10,000 bottles of this classic Barolo are made each year by the Altare family, so scarcity and the estate's reputation add a premium over high-volume Nebbiolo.
Blending several parcels rather than a named cru like Arborina or Brunate keeps this the most affordable Barolo in Altare's range, near £65 instead of the triple figures the crus command.
UK excise duty of £2.67 a bottle on still wine up to 15% ABV, plus 20% VAT, account for well over £13 of the £64 to £69 shelf price before the wine itself.
Dishes that complement this wine
Firm Nebbiolo tannin and savoury tar suit Piedmont braises, tajarin and agnolotti with Alba truffle, grilled red meat and aged cheese; the structure overwhelms delicate fish and fierce chilli heat.
Barolo's firm Nebbiolo tannin needs the collagen and fat of a long braise to soften and round out. Brasato al Barolo, braised in the wine itself, is the regional answer, and slow-cooked veal shank works on the same principle.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Bollito dei Pastori · More pairings →
The wine's rose, licorice and earthy tar mirror the aroma of Alba white truffle and the savoury depth of butter-rich Piedmont pasta. Tajarin and agnolotti del plin are the classic Langhe partners for a mature Nebbiolo.
Try with: Tajarin al Tartufo · Agnolotti del Plin · Truffle risotto · More pairings →
Nebbiolo's acidity and tannin slice through the fat and char of grilled and roasted beef, refreshing the palate between bites. A bistecca alla fiorentina or a rare roast gives the wine the protein it needs to show its softer side.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Tagliata di manzo · Grilled ribeye · More pairings →
Bright Nebbiolo acidity lifts earthy porcini and the gamey richness of a wild-boar ragù, while the wine's tar and forest-floor notes echo the autumn flavours on the plate.
Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Pappardelle al cinghiale · Tagliatelle al ragù · More pairings →
The wine's body, alcohol and tannin stand up to aged, salty hard cheeses where a lighter red would be flattened. Piedmont's own Castelmagno and a well-aged Parmigiano meet the wine on equal terms.
Try with: Castelmagno · Parmigiano Reggiano · Toma Piemontese · Aged pecorino
Barolo's firm tannin and 14.5% alcohol amplify chilli heat and turn it harsh, while the same structure bulldozes delicate white fish and shellfish. Those plates want an aromatic Italian white or a light red, not a powerful Nebbiolo.
Skip with: Vindaloo · Sichuan hotpot · Sushi · Ceviche · Pairing guide →
Barolo DOCG releases after at least 38 months; Altare's modern style drinks earlier than traditional Barolo but rewards a decade. Hold the structured 2021 into the late 2030s; the elegant 2020 is approachable sooner.
Peak around 2033. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
A Barolo DOCG with a 38-month ageing mandate and 24 months in barrique, its structured Nebbiolo, the 2021 especially, rewards a decade or more in the cellar.
£64.56 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
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Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumIt is the classic Barolo of the Altare family in La Morra, Piedmont, made from Nebbiolo. Rather than a single cru like Arborina or Brunate, it blends Nebbiolo from vineyards in La Morra, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba and Barolo, and is aged 24 months in French barrique.
Expect an intense ruby red with garnet edges, a nose of raspberry, redcurrant and wild rose that evolves toward licorice, tar and spice, and leather and tobacco with age. It is warm and elegant with soft tannins and a long finish. Vivino drinkers rate it 4.3 from nearly 7,000 ratings.
Modernist. Elio Altare was a leader of the La Morra growers who shortened maceration, fermenting on the skins for only four to five days in temperature-controlled rotary tanks, and aged the wine in French barrique. The result is a Barolo that is more approachable young than the classic long-macerated style.
Pour it with Piedmont's own braised and roasted meats, such as brasato al Barolo and ossobuco, with tajarin or agnolotti dressed in Alba white truffle, with grilled red meat, and with mature hard cheeses. Its firm Nebbiolo tannin needs fat and protein, so it overwhelms delicate fish and fierce chilli heat.
Barolo DOCG is released only after at least 38 months. Altare's modern style drinks earlier than traditional Barolo but still rewards a decade. The structured 2021 will hold into the late 2030s, while the more elegant 2020 is approachable sooner.
UK listings here cover the 2020 and 2021 vintages at roughly £64 to £69 a bottle. The Altare family makes only about 10,000 bottles of this classic Barolo a year, so it is a sought-after grower Barolo rather than a mass-market wine.
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