2010 Langhe Rosso La Villa

A blend of Barbera with Nebbiolo. Mid garnet. Leafily fragrant. Such a contrast with the Barbera, which does make me think the latter was not in great shape. Fine dry tannins. Refined overall, restrained but fresh fruit, opening up to sour cherry and just a touch smoky and cedary fresh. (JH)

The 2010 Langhe La Villa represents a blend of Barbera and Nebbiolo (40 percent). Each variety is its own voice that shines bright in this classic vintage. You feel the soft fruitiness and acidity of the Barbera grape beautifully contrasted against the tannic firmness of Nebbiolo. Blackberry, licorice, dried mint and tobacco are put on full display. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. Elio Altare is never a man to mince words. He tells the rags-to-riches story of Barolo with conviction, passion and firsthand knowledge. La Morra went from having a handful of farmers (five or six) back in the early 1970s to dozens of estates today. Back then, grape growers were considered so low in social rank, many could not find local women to marry. They imported wives from poorer regions of southern Italy, like Calabria and Basilicata, to live in the Langhe. “C’era la fame qui,” he says. (“We were starving.”) From his panoramic porch overlooking the Frazione Annunziata section of La Morra, he sighs, “Just look at us now.” He tells the story of his first trip to France: “It blew my mind that producers in Burgundy were buying Porsches and yachts with just a few hectares of vine while we were dirt poor.” Highly influenced by that trip (his use of French barrique for aging Nebbiolo is a prime example), Altare returned to Italy and vowed to shake things up. He most certainly did. Various American importers, including: Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300; Estate Wines, San Rafael, CA; tel. (415) 492-9411

Not surprisingly, the 2010 La Villa, a blend of 60% Barbera and 40% Nebbiolo, is gorgeous. Nebbiolo gives the aromatics and structure, while Barbera provides the mid-palate juiciness. Some years the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, but in 2010 that isn't quite the case. Of course, the 2010 has just been bottled, so that might still happen. Today, the 2010 is a striking, beautiful wine, but in this tasting it suffers being placed after the Larigi and Arborina. Still, most producers would kill to have a wine like this in their cellars.