Elio Altare is now one of the finest winegrowers in Piedmont. But things have not always been straightforward. This Burgundy-lover and visionary wanted to modernise the old Barolo wines, but this brought him into conflict with his father, who disinherited him. Undaunted, Elio Altare managed to buy back his father's domaine and now, with his daughter Silvia, produces pesticide and chemical-free wines vinified with indigenous yeasts, in la Morra, a town in the Barolo region. His wines are strikingly elegant and extraordinarily silky smooth, both literally and figuratively. They are also stunningly fresh. This is a truly great domaine.

Elio Altare's Barolo Cerretta Vigna Bricco cuvée is produced from fairly young vines planted in a limestone-clay terroir with southerly, south-westerly and south-easterly exposure. It has a very lively ruby-red appearance, with garnet-red hues. Notes of spices, liqueur and tobacco, and a slightly mentholated peak, elevate its bouquet to the sublime. The wine has great structure on the palate, with well-controlled tannins.