SommSelect Editorial Director David Lynch can’t stay away from Barolo, even during the hottest days of summer. But, then again, why wait when the wine is as good as this 2012 from Fratelli Alessandria?
The Barolo production zone now includes close to 2,000 hectares of vineyards spread across 11 different townships in southeastern Piedmont—including, of course, the town of Barolo itself. Lovers of these great wines have come to know other key villages, such as La Morra, or Serralunga d’Alba, intimately, and have come to associate those towns and their producers with specific styles of wine. The village of Verduno, which borders La Morra at the northern tip of the Barolo DOCG, isn’t typically mentioned as one of those “key” villages, but it should be: While it is one of the zone’s smaller-production towns, what does come out of Verduno is exceedingly perfumed and pretty. Fratelli Alessandria’s 2012 is a delicious and affordable case study in Verduno Barolo, sourced from a wide array of sites in the village (along with one from across the valley in Monforte d’Alba). Like the wines of neighboring La Morra, this wine is characterized by brightness, perfume, and a little less tannic brawn than wines grown in more sandstone-rich communes such as Serralunga. Yes, this is the Nebbiolo grape we’re talking about, so there’s still plenty of power here, but there’s also enough refinement to reward my chronic impatience. I’m enjoying this wine immensely right now, and you will, too.
Verduno has actually been enjoying a moment in the sun lately, not only due to great Barolos from the likes of Alessandria, Burlotto, and Castello di Verduno, but to the rampant popularity of a spicy local red called Pelaverga—a wine-geek cause célèbre found on hip by-the-glass lists. Essentially an ‘extension’ of the La Morra vineyard area, with similar eastern (and sometimes northern) exposures, Verduno’s vineyards include at least one bona-fide “grand cru”—a site called “Monvigliero”—which Fratelli Alessandria counts among its diverse holdings. Spanning a total of about 12 hectares of vines, most of them in Verduno, the estate has been in the Alessandria family since 1870; these days it’s Gian Battista Alessandria running the show, with help from his wife, Flavia, brother, Alessandro, and son, Vittore.
Theirs is a ‘traditional’ approach to Barolo, with the aging of the wines occurring in large, Slavonian oak casks. This 2012 is the family’s ‘base’ Barolo, sourced from a diverse assortment of Verduno vineyards along with one (the well-known “Gramolere” cru) in Monforte d’Alba. This wine spent 3 years in cask followed by another six months in bottle before release, and even at this “young” age (by Barolo standards) it shows seamless integration of its oak and tannins.
In the glass, the 2012 Barolo from Alessandria is a reflective garnet-red with slight hints of orange and pink at the rim. The aromas display Nebbiolo’s inimitable, heady mix of fruit and savor: black cherry, raspberry, blood orange, fennel, leather, dried rose petals, and a truffle-y, humid earthiness. Medium-plus in body, its tannins are perfectly integrated, especially after 30-60 minutes in a decanter—it is spicy and savory, but also smooth and drinkable, with a long and aromatic finish. No doubt it has 15 years of graceful aging ahead of it, only becoming more floral and complex along the way, so I’d suggest laying down some of this and re-visiting it from time to time. As I said, I’m loving it now—sip it slowly at around 60 degrees in large Burgundy stems. Ian Cauble keeps promising he’s going to take me foraging for mushrooms one of these days (not really the season for it now), so I’ll be sure to have a bottle or two on hand to pair with that haul. Here’s a classic pasta recipe that’ll shine with this Barolo, whether your mushrooms are foraged or store-bought. When the wine’s this good, I don’t dwell on seasonality. Enjoy!
— D.L.
