Elio Altare 2022 Barbera d'Alba DOC
Item Number: 18447
UPC: None
Country: Italy
Region: Piedmont
Sub Region: Langhe
Appellation/AVA: Barbera d'Alba DOC
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2022
Grape(s): 100% Barbera
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 14.5
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Harvest Notes from Silvia Altare: "2022 was challenging in many ways and on different levels, among the many difficulties Piemonte was hit by the hottest and driest year of the past 100 years. In spite of the challenges, we were happy with the end result. The plants showed an incredible resistance and responded very well to all the agronomic practices we had to use to get to harvest. Suddenly all the worries we had during the summer months disappeared at harvest time. We had a strong finish with perfectly ripe and healthy grapes, and juice showing the balance between acidity and sugar concentration, sad note aside the production is slightly smaller.
During harvest the team doesn’t change, it’s the seven “usual suspects” that work all year long between the cellar and the vineyards. Everyone participates, and it usually stretches over 2 months of non-stop work. This year everything was fast but smooth, and we had the time to plan and execute. We were able to do multiple harvests in the same vineyard in order to end up with the best juice.
Our entry level wines typically reflect what we like to drink on a daily basis, and these are the wines we made again this vintage: juicy and ready to drink. The concentration of the vintage gave us rich wines, but we were able to balance the acidity with multiple harvests. The vineyards were not all in the same ripening pattern, so we picked when they were ready. Also, we had very little threat of rain so time was on our side, and we were able to wait without pressure. The threat of rain is what we are always up against. In 2022 we only had one stretch of rain around the end of September, and we were finished right before.
The flavescenza dorata is really having an impact of our Barbera production. We keep trying, experimenting and replacing the plants, this disease is really giving us a hard time, it’s hard to eradicate and no solution has been found so far."
Location: La Morra
Vine Age: 10 to 30 years old
Winemaking Notes: The grapes are harvested by hand. They macerate with their skins at a controlled temperature in rotary fermentors for 3-4 days. The wine ages for 5 months in French barriques. Fermentation occurs naturally with indigenous yeast as does the malolactic fermentation. The wine is not fined, filtered, or clarified. No substances that could modify the color or the structure of the wine is ever used.