“The most northern vineyard of the Barolo area, not far from the Tanaro river, which has a significant influence on the microclimate of this important Verduno vineyard. The soil is made up of fossilized Marls of Sant’Agata called laminate or balanced agglomerates of silt, clay and sand arranged like sheets a few millimeters thick layered over each other. Active limestone around 11.
The vineyard in Monvigliero is located in the central amphitheater of the hill and consists of three blocks with a total area of 2.02 hectares planted at five different times (in 1958, 1987, 1992 and 2015). The plants come from a massale selection of our own vineyards, as well as selected clones, grafted on Riparia, 420A and Kober 5BB rootstock. The exposure is completely south with a maximum altitude of 300 meters. Vines are trained in the Guyot style.
The harvest is carried out by hand, in order to preserve the integrity of the fruit and to allow for, when necessary, a selection of the grapes which are then transported to the cellar in 20 kg boxes. Whole cluster vinification is used (with grapes not destemmed) in open French oak vats, followed by two months of submerged cap maceration. In order to not damage the stalks, the grapes are still foot pressed.
Malolactic fermentation takes place in Slavonian and Allier oak barrels of 35-50 hectoliters followed by subsequent maturation for about 3 years. Bottling is usually carried out in the summer without fining or filtration and then the wine rests in the cellar for at least 9 months before being marketed.“ Burlotto Estate
Here we have clearly a more serious&structured version, in contrast to the hedonistic&sexy version by 2010 a couple of of weeks ago. 2006 is more firm and classic with red fruits, spice, flowers, herbs and earth. In addition a vivid acidity, robust tannins and balance (!) combined with the famous finesse and elegance. Anyway what a great partner with food, in this case a deer ragu „Gulasch“ with yorkshire pudding and chestnuts. I strongly recommend this Barolo with the right food. Of course no hurry to drink this Barolo Monvigliero.
Nice note. I had this ~1.5 yrs ago and it’s one of the better '06s I’ve tasted recently. I think it lacks the extreme finesse of recent vintages of Burlotto Monvigliero, but flavor profile is quite similar, and it seemed very youthful.
Exciting notes, and additional insights. Now if you could only help out with accessing the wines at the old (or even “regular” markups)I’d be forever grateful
I know, I know, my friend Tino Seiwert (RIP), former owner of Pinard de Picard, introduced me to Burlotto wines around 2010. He was one of the best wine taster in Germany and a true wine truffle pig.
I love the Monvigliero, but imo the quality of winemaking at Burlotto is most evident in the other wines, because the Monvigliero is so unique and dominated by the whole cluster that it’s hard to compare to other Barolo. The Cannubi may be their best wine, IMO.
Yes. That’s the Monvigliero that Galloni gave 100 points, as I recall. Burlotto was kind of under the radar until then and the prices were modest.
I feel fortunate to have visited and spoken with Fabio Alessandria and his dad in '11 and '16, before they became the Next Big Thing. Not sure if you can easily get an appointment today! (The pic is from 2011.)
Their freisa, pelaverga and barberas are all excellent, too, though I see prices have risen a lot on those, too. The freisa was kind of a revelation – juicy, sappy, kind of like a good cru Beaujolais or a ripe, dark-fruited Barbera d’Alba.
