2000 Barolo Brunate

The 2000 Barolo Brunate captures the pedigree of this great site. Brunate is simply Brunate. Layers of dark fruit are woven in an intricate fabric laced with menthol, pine and spices, all typical notes of Brunate. This is a wonderfully complete, beguiling Barolo that starts off rather bold, then turns decidedly more elegant – almost Burgundian – in the glass. Readers who own the Brunate can look forward to many more years of great drinking. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025. Elio Altare has always been a huge proponent of the 2000 vintage. Retasting his 2000s, it’s easy to see why. The wines have great intensity of fruit, approachable personalities and plenty of structure to support continued cellaring. I am thrilled to have the wines in my cellar.

As I have noted previously, the 2000 vintage offers wines that are amazingly open at this stage in their youths and most of these Brunate Barolos can be enjoyed today, although some wines may require more oxygenation. The wines were tasted blind and are listed in the order tasted. 2000 Elio Altare Barolo Brunate—Absolutely gorgeous. Complex nose of spices and menthol. There is notable concentration on the palate, which shows generous amounts of dark red fruit. This is very round and long, and comes across as very classic.

Full medium red. Musky aromas of espresso, tobacco, brown spices and nuts. More powerful and muscular today than the Arborina, and still tight despite its complete ripeness. Bright red berry flavors emerged as the wine opened in the glass. Finishes with firm tannins and a perfumed character that's rare for the vintage. Needs a good four or five years of patience to approach maturity.