2020 G.B. Burlotto, Barolo DOCG, Piemonte, Italy.
Very pretty and highly aromatic, the open knit and warm vintage supple textured 2020 Burlotto Barolo is already, especially after a hour or so in decanter, drinking beautifully with bright red toned berry fruit, along with damson plum, cherry and reduced strawberry, as well as dried herbs, meaty notes, tar, black licorice, sandalwood, delicate floral incense and forest floor. Medium/full in body and with a lighter ruby hue, this is silken pure Nebbiolo, but still has structure to age. Coming from calcareous soils, which were formed between the Tortonian and the Messinian geological eras, with, as the winery notes, a balanced presence of clay, sand and silt that allows for good water retention, the Barolo sees plots at different elevation and exposures to capture the whole vintage, and this helps fill out the wine. Burlotto’s regular Barolo is crafted from various parcels with different micro terroirs, resulting in a fuller and more complete wine with all hand picked 100% de-stemmed grapes crushed and the must moved by gravity into open French oak vats for fermentation. The winery says that during the maceration period, delicate pumping over and punch-downs are carried out daily to extract flavor, color and structure. Temperature control is key to preserve crisp detail and aromatics here and the wine is aged in large well used French casks for a minimum of 20 to 23 months before bottling, after which the wine is rested another 9 to 12 months prior to release. I highly recommend these Burlotto wines, with their Nebbiolo, and this Barolo being favorites of mine.
As I’ve mentioned many times before, I’ve long admired the Burlotto wines, especially their Barolo, of course, along with their Freisa, Barbera, Dolcetto and the very rare Pelaverga, a lesser known native varietal, a wine that is a highlight of the Veduno area, especially Burlotto’s. The historic Comm. G.B. Burlotto, founded in 1850, is maybe the most important and most desirable winery from Barolo’s Verduno area and capable of producing some of Piemonte’s greatest wines. It’s noted that during his almost three quarters of a century as a winemaker (1850-1927), G.B. Burlotto pioneered bottling Barolo and selling it from the estate and his importer Rare Wine Co. says his accomplishments were rivaled only by those of Biondi-Santi and Vega Sicilia, as G.B. Burlotto achieved superstardom in his own era, at a time the wine world was dominated by French wines. Today, the Burlotto label has re-emerged as one of Piemonte’s great small producers, thanks to the brilliant traditional winemaking of Burlotto’s great-great-grandson, Fabio Alessandria, who wines are now highly coveted by collectors, making them hard to get, especially the Barolo. Imported to the States by Rare Wine Co, Burlotto is not always easy to find and there is high demand for these wines, so they can be a real treat, as this 2020 Barolo was for me at a dinner with friends recently. Thanks again to my wine professional friend, Alex Lallos, of No Limits Fine Wines, who offers many exclusive wines to a select group of collectors and enthusiasts and who is very generous with his own cellar.
($105 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive