I hope everyone is getting into the holiday spirit! We sure are, and this is the time of year when world-class wines are a necessity. We're here to help, and we have a stunning trio of 2017 Barolos from Fratelli Alessandria.
"Fratelli Alessandria is one of Piedmont’s under-the-radar jewels. Best of all, the wines remain very reasonably priced by today’s standards." - Antonio Galloni - Vinous Media
1. 2017 Barolo 'Gramolere'
95 points Wine Advocate, 95 points Vinous Media
ORDER NOW in our online store for pickup.
Gramolere’ is located in Monforte d’Alba, facing south/southwest, at some 1,050 to 1,750 feet above sea level. Vines are on average 30 years old. Consistent with the style of Nebbiolo from Monforte, the wine shows more structure; tannins are present yet refined; with darker berry fruit and more pronounced peppery spice.
"With some 7,000 bottles released, the Fratelli Alessandria 2017 Barolo Gramolere gives us a taste of fruit from Monforte d'Alba, as opposed to Verduno, where this winery is based. The Nebbiolo from this further-flung village shows deep power and equal grace, and you feel the contrast in this warm-vintage wine. This Barolo sits firmly on the palate with dark shades of cherry, blackcurrant and wild plum. These fruit tones cede to iron ore, rusty nail and dark licorice. This wine shows power and almost sanguine or earthy intensity." - Wine Advocate
2. 2017 Barolo 'San Lorenzo'
95 points Vinous Media, 94 points Wine Advocate
ORDER NOW in our online store for pickup.
‘San Lorenzo’ is located in Verduno, facing south at a slightly lower altitude, between 720 and 880 feet above sea level. Here the mineral influence of the “marne di Sant’Agata” comes through, with more precise floral aromas and a more linear, yet deeply elegant, profile.
"Rich, bold and effusive, the 2017 Barolo San Lorenzo di Verduno shows the darker side of Nebbiolo from Verduno, as it always does. Black cherry, gravel, licorice, game, spice and cured meats are some of the many aromas and flavors that develop in the glass. Broad and ample, with tons of punch, the 2017 San Lorenzo delivers the goods, and then some." - Vinous Media
3. 2017 Barolo del Commune di Verduno
94 points Wine Advocate, 93 points Vinous Media
ORDER NOW in our online store for pickup.
A new wine as of the 2017 vintage, the Barolo del Comune di Verduno highlights the elegance and suave fruit of the Alessandria family’s home village, Verduno. We can’t think of a better tribute to this northern Barolo town, renowned for centuries for its refined Nebbiolo wines, not to mention its talented winemaking families!
"Here's a new wine that reflects the enthusiasm for comune-focused wines that are now gaining much traction across the Barolo appellation. The Fratelli Alessandria 2017 Barolo del Comune di Verduno shows beautifully even in its youth and most especially after the bottle has been opened for a bit or double decanted. Like all these wines from this vintage, it needs a little extra breathing room. The results are precise and focused with a good balance of light spice, mineral and tar. Some 20,000 bottles were made." - Wine Advocate
So there you go folks, some truly world-class Barolos just in time for Christmas. Any of these wines would make for a fine gift for the Nebbiolo lover in your life. Cheers and Happy Holidays.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville