Nose
On the nose, the 2017 Barolo Albe has aromas of redcurrant, cherries, macerated strawberries and mint, interlaced with floral notes of rosehip, rhubarb, red fig, hawthorn, lavender and liquorice.
Palate
The 2017 Barolos are profound and characterized by a core of red
fruits, acid spine and refined tannins that set the wines for the long haul. The palate is full of sophisticated and delicate flavours supported by ripe tannins and an elegant acidity. Generous, layered and youthful, with ripe tannins and a classic finish
on tones of marasca cherry.
Growing Conditions
The grapes for this wine are grown in the township of Barolo in three different vineyards: Fossati (soil of Sant'Agata fossil marls), which faces south-east and was planted between1969-2004; Coste di Vergne (soil of limestone marls), which faces south-west, planted in 1995; the 180º east-west vineyard of La Volta (soil of Sant'Agata fossil marls), planted between 1998-2000. The vineyards are located at 380-480 metres above sea level. Vines are trained with Guyot system and a green harvest usually takes place according to vigour and the climate during the growing season. Sustainable viticulture is used in all the vineyards and there is no irrigation.
In
Europe, this was recorded as the lowest yielding vintage since 1947, due to a
combination of spring frost and summer droughts. The outcome is surprising,
due to the combination of limited intake of potassium in the fruit and cool nights
throughout the season, with an almost perfect September. After a mild winter
with little snow and an anticipated vegetative development, temperatures brutally dropped between April 19th and 21st, with frost across Europe that luckily
spared our vineyards. Starting in May, the weather turned stable. Days were hot
but the nights cooler than in 2003 and 2011. The strong diurnal drop of temperature preserved the vines from water stress, despite little or no rainfalls. By
early September, night temperatures dropped even further, enhancing phenolic
ripening while slowing down sugar accumulation. Average time between bud
break and ripening was 185 days. According to the Consorzio Langhe, ‘hot’
vintages last 170 days and ‘late’ vintages 200 days.
Harvest
Fruit for Barolo DOCG Albe was picked between 26th September and 3rd October.
The grapes were hand picked and hand sorted in the second and third week of October.
Bottling
The wine was blended in spring prior to bottling.
Winemaking
Fermentation using only 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.
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.
