Spend enough time talking to winemakers and eventually you’ll hear the old joke that the “best” vintage of any wine is the one that’s currently for sale. I mention this because we offered the 2012 vintage of Fratelli Alessandria’s flagship Barolo about six months ago—a really good wine from a really good vintage—and I don’t want you to think I’m being glib when I say the 2013 is even better.
Because it really is. Given the minimum aging requirements for Barolo wines, the 2013s were released for sale at the beginning of 2017, and as always, they take some time to reach our shores; we started seeing (and tasting) ’13 Barolos only recently, and so far, they’ve lived up to the hype the vintage has received from producers and the wine press alike. Even in its relative youth, Alessandria’s 2013 is a complete wine—neither bruisingly tannic and in need of time to resolve, as is ‘classic’ in Barolo, nor super-ripe and plumped up for short-term drinking. You don’t need to be an expert to tell when a wine offers the total package, as this one clearly does. In addition to being beguilingly aromatic and finely textured now, this wine has many years of silky seduction still ahead of it. I strongly recommend you grab some!
Characterized as a relatively cool, and exceptionally long, growing season, 2013 has been compared favorably to the now-legendary 2010, but it also helps that Alessandria, and its home village of Verduno, have been on a hot streak of late. 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 Barolo’s smaller-production towns, what does come out of here is some of the most perfumed, pretty, and ‘Burgundian’ Barolo. Verduno has been enjoying a moment 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.
Alessandria’s is a ‘traditional’ approach to Barolo, with the aging of the wines occurring in large, Slavonian oak casks. This 2013 is the family’s ‘base’ Barolo, sourced from a diverse assortment of Verduno vineyards along with one (the well-known “Gramolere” cru) across the valley in Monforte d’Alba. This wine spent three years in cask followed by another six months in bottle before release, and even at this “young” age (by Barolo standards) it is seamlessly integrated.
Ultimately, it’s the most balanced wines that improve the most with age, and, in this respect, Alessandria’s 2013 is poised for greatness. In the glass it’s a deep, reflective garnet red with hints of pink and orange at the rim, with a beautifully expressive nose of cherry kirsch, blackberry, orange peel, cacao nibs, dried roses and violets, warm spices, and leather. There’s an “iron fist in a velvet glove” thing going on here: the tannins are fine-grained and the fruit is a layer richer than in the 2012, but there’s clearly the underlying structure for aging. My sweet spot for Barolos in this style—which is to say, more finessed than some of the burlier styles from villages such as Serralunga and Monforte—is 10-15 years. By all means enjoy a bottle or two now—it is plenty seductive and approachable after about 45 minutes in a decanter—but do try to find some space for some in your cellar. Serve it at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems and pair it with an appropriately earthy, soulful companion. The Piedmontese take on beef bourguignon seems right, but whatever you choose, go slow and enjoy every sip—it keeps getting better as you go! Cheers!
— David Lynch
