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ALESTE Barolo 2021

 

Tasting notes

A profound and deep perfume is the first impression of the 2021 Barolo Aleste, redolent of cherries, raspberries, wood and mineral notes, with underbrush and dark spices.

It has a sense of mystery, hiding then revealing, unfolding as it evolves in the glass. On the palate is it surprisingly robust and structured, but not heavy … it dances. Red fruits predominate, balanced by flavors of spice, wood notes and garrigue.

The tannins will require a good bit of patience but show the sweetness and elegance of the vintage - they simply need a few years to resolve into a coherent whole. The finish shows off the ripe tannins and notes of graphite and black fruit.

 

Ratings for the vintage 2021
Vinous 98 points

 

 

 

Download wine description

 

Evolution of the vintage 2021

The 2020-2021 winter was extremely snowy, with cumulative snowfalls in higher elevations of the Barolo zone reaching 3+ meters. The weather warmed in March and there were 2 weeks of unseasonably warm temperatures before the early April frost event. The frost lasted about 48 hours, depending on the site, and affected all of Europe. The vines had already begun budding and damages were luckily limited to lower elevations and places where air currents pushed the cold air up the hillsides. Fortunately, few of the Sandrone vineyards were affected.

Flowering was in the first week of June and coincided with the first period of real warmth. Thereafter, June and July were alternating warm-cool with well-timed rainstorms. The last significant summer rain was in mid-July, which also scattered hail over the Langhe in general.

August brought real heat to the Barolo region and combined with the lack of rain the plants began to suffer. Warm nighttime temperatures in August exacerbated the hydric stress and some sites suffered as much as in 2017. While the hydric stress was acute, the relatively short period (50 days) of dryness forced the plants slow berry growth, leading to an excellent juice/skins ratio. Overall, the late-season drought led to smaller berries and looser clusters, a positive outcome in the well-tended Sandrone vineyards.   

In early September the night temperatures began to cool and the plants received a bit of refreshment from a few well-timed and gentle rainstorms in the middle of September.

The August heat contributed positively to the maturation and aromatic complexity of the grapes, and the wines tend toward generous, big and rich, with a bit less acidity than in the most classic years. 2021 Barolo will age effortlessly for several decades, while also providing great drinking pleasure in the medium term.

 

The Harvest took place on October 8th.

 

Vintage

 

sibi et paucis

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