Barolo Cannubi G.B. Burlotto 2010

The Winery

During his seventy-seven years as a winemaker (1850-1927), G.B. Burlotto’s accomplishments were rivaled only by those of Biondi-Santi and Vega Sicilia, as G.B. achieved superstardom in a world dominated by French wines. Today, Burlotto has re-emerged as one of Piemonte’s great small producers, thanks to the brilliant and highly traditional winemaking of G.B.’s great-great-grandson, Fabio Alessandria.

He pioneered selling Barolo in bottle (not cask or demijohn), predating even Giacomo Conterno’s Barolo Monfortino. And as official supplier to the Royal House of Savoy—which once ruled Piemonte—he not only achieved personal fame, he made his village of Verduno as renowned as Serralunga or La Morra.

G.B.’s death in 1927 not only took away Burlotto’s driving force, it also deprived Verduno of its greatest champion. And so both faded into obscurity in the decades that followed. But now, with G.B.’s great-great-grandson Fabio Alessandria as winemaker, Burlotto’s star is again rising, reclaiming its position as one of Piedmont’s great small producers.

Like his ancestors, Fabio approaches Monvigliero in a way that is both classical and idiosyncratic—to extract the vineyard’s essential greatness. At the core of this technique is a gentle crushing of all the grapes by foot, an incredible 60-day maceration on the skins and, of course, long aging in large wood botte. It’s an approach virtually unheard of today, yet its brilliance is revealed in every glass of this unique Barolo. The combination of foot treading, long maceration and traditional botte-aging produces a wine of powerful structure, but with an ethereally delicate mouthfeel.

G.B. Burlotto winery makes four Barolos: Monvigliero, Cannubi, Acclivi (a blend of Burlotto’s crus) and a beautiful Barolo normale. The common thread in all these wines is surreal texture and pristine aromatics.

Tasting notes:

The bouquet is intense, with some rosa canina and berry fruit spice mingled with some greenish accents with hints of leaf tobacco and alcohol. On the palate it’s full and quite smooth with soft fresh berry fruit supported by lively berry fruit acidity, and by smooth sweet tannins that flow into a fairly tart finish.

94/100 Wine Enthusiast

Contiene solfiti