In this second video on the Altare family of Piedmont, James speaks to Sylvia Altare about the excellent 2007 vintage for Borolo. See why she thinks this wine is perfection! -KS Click here for the previous video on Elio Altare. Click here for the tasting notes.

Elio Altare is a benchmark for today’s reds of Piedmont, in particular Barolo. He and a group of friends, including Domenico Clerico and Roberto Voerzio, set out on a mutual path to producing better-made Barolos through more precise methods in their vineyards and wineries in the early 1980s – and

A lot of great Nebbiolo is on the market already. So, if the 2007 vintage hadn’t come after so many excellent years in Piedmont, I think that everyone would be lining up to get their hands on 2007 Barbarescos. The 2007 Barolos are coming out in a few months as

This is the last in a series of four videos with Piedmont’s Luca Currado of Vietti, the great name in Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera. I tasted a small range of barrel samples from the super 2007 vintage. Those Vietti videos already posted include Barbera, 2006 Barolo and 2000 Barolo. In

I spent close to a whole day with Luca Currado, whose family owns the Vietti winery in Castiglione Falletto, Italy. Vietti is one of the top producers of Barolo, and the family owns some amazing vineyards, including its best for me: Rocche and Brunate. They make very different styles. I

The 2000 vintage for Barolo is the best ever for me. It is the combination of rich and exotic fruits and ripe and powerful tannins that make the Nebbiolo from this vintage so very compelling when you taste them. Old-timers in the region talk about such legends as 1947 or

Some people might say it’s like comparing apples and oranges, but I wanted to do it anyway. At my house in Tuscany, I invited to dinner the popular Brunello di Montalcino producer Enrico Viglierchio of Castello Banfi, and Pio Boffa of Barolo’s Pio Cesare. We tasted their 1997s, including the Brunello

Sono sempre stato un pò diffidente della qualità del Barolo relativa all’anno 2006. Potrebbe essere perché il maestro della classificazione, Bruno Giacosa, ha deciso di non imbottigliare quell’annata? Quindi, se addirittura Giacosa non imbottiglia, come è possibile affermare che la qualità del vino nell’anno 2006 sia eccellente? In realtà credo che

I have always been a little leery of the quality of 2006 for Barolo. It might be because the maestro of the appellation, Bruno Giacosa, decided not to bottle the vintage. How can 2006 be a top year when Giacosa doesn’t bottle? Nonetheless, I think many outstanding 2006 Barolos are