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 Producer:
Elio
Altare - Cascina Nuova
Region: Piemonte
DOC(G):
Barolo
Langhe Rosso
Barbera d'Alba
Dolcetto d'Alba
About the Producer:
The story of
Elio Altare’s rise to fame and renown is hardly the charming
family tale of customs passed from father to son through the generations.
This ambitious man began in the wine business under his father,
a ‘contadino’ or grower who sold the crop of his estate,
Cascina Nuova, to dealers ever since its inception in 1948. The
young Altare was enraged by the miserable quality of the wine around
him, a
product
of wineries
that preferred to defer purchasing grapes until the desperate contadini
would accept paltry recompense. With a handful of companions, he
looked to the illustrious estates of Burgundy and Bordeaux that
fetched what then seemed to him to be unthinkable prices. Determined
to right the situation in his native Barolo he journeyed to Burgundy,
where production and business practices bewitched him, and he returned
home eager to institute the methods he had discovered.
Elio’s passion for Burgundian winemaking techniques did not
sit well with his father, and a rocky period ensued; the son even
destroyed the family’s barrels with a chainsaw, pushing his
father to disinherit him entirely. Sadly, it was not until after
his father’s death in 1985 that Elio’s sisters, who
now owned Cascina Nuova, passed the estate back to their brother
and he began production as he saw fit. From that point on Altare
dove into a system of extremely short maceration periods, aging
in barriques, and – most importantly in his own eyes – strict
control of yields in the vineyard.
Altare is still outspoken, mercilessly mocking what he calls ‘tipicità’ or
typicity. However, it is not tradition he disdains but rather the
conservative closed-mindedness that prevents some producers from
accepting new techniques. In fact, he wholeheartedly applauds winemakers
with diverse methodologies who live harmoniously among one another.
Above all, Altare believes that Barolo should give pleasure to
those who drink it. His rich, concentrated Barolos are a testament
to his success, and he is still fine-tuning production methods
to please his audience even further.
Featured Wine(s):
Altare
Barolo
Altare Barolo
Vigneto Arborina
Altare Langhe Rosso Larigi
Altare Dolcetto d'Alba
Altare L'Insieme
Altare Barolo Brunate
Altare Langhe Rosso Arborina
Altare Langhe Rosso La Villa
Altare Barbera d'Alba
To purchase these wines, call our Portfolio
Managers at 212.473.2323.
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