Nose
This wine has a complex bouquet with aromas of red fruits and plums with hints rose petals, sweet red fruits and a hint of black figs.
Palate
'Le Albe' is full of sophisticated and delicate flavours supported by ripe tannins and an elegant acidity.
Growing Conditions
The grapes for this wine are grown in three different vineyards: Fossati, which faces south-east and was planted between 1969-2004, Coste di Vergne, which faces south-west, planted in 1995, and the 180º east-west vineyard of La Volta, planted between 1998-2000. The vineyards are located at 380-480 metres above sea level and are all in the township of Barolo. Sustainable viticulture is used in all the vineyards and there is no irrigation. Training is by Guyot and a green harvest usually takes place according to vigour and the climate during the growing season.
2016 was a beautiful, classic vintage. Locals called it “a farmer’s year” for what is a very rare combination of high quality, purity of aromatics, and generous crop. After a mild winter, temperatures dropped in March with a lot of rain that enriched the water reserves. Flowering was abundant thanks to the ideal weather conditions, shaping the vintage into one of lift and energy over concentration. Night temperatures remained low throughout the spring, and phenolic ripening was delayed until the very end of the summer.
Harvest
Harvest began in September and continued into late October.
Harvest began in September and continued into late October.
Winemaking
Fermentation, with indigenous yeasts, took place in custom-designed vertical vats. Maceration lasted 25 days at temperatures not exceeding 32ºC with gentle punch downs. Malolactic fermentation took place in stainless steel vats the following spring.
The wine was blended in spring prior to bottling.
Aging
The wine was then moved to large Slavonian oak casks (40, 50 and 75hL) to age for 30 months with racking once a year.
