Date of visit: September 24, 2021
A bit about the winery:
G.B. Burlotto was founded by Giovan Battista Burlotto in 1850 in Verduno, a historic village famous for the production of Barolo and Peleverga. Since it’s founding, G.B. Burlotto has been committed to producing high-quality wines from the indigenous grapes of Langhe, produced in a style which allows the grapes and terroir to perfectly express themselves. Towards the end of the 18th century, Giovan Battista purchased vineyards in prime locations which today have been recognized as some of the greatest sites in all of Langhe to grow Nebbiolo; Monvigliero in Verduno, and Cannubi in Barolo. During this time, the estate began to sell their wine in bottles bearing their name. This was extraordinarily rare at the time when most sold wine in bulk casks, and very rarely did grape growers produce their own wine. Giovan Battista was known for cutting edge enological practices, and of course producing extraordinary wine. Under his leadership, the firm was awarded 32 medals for their Barolo at international wine fairs, and was awarded the titles “Supplier to the Savoy Royal Household” and “The Only Supplier to the Duke of Abruzzi’s Arctic Expedition to The North Pole 1899”. Eventually, the king awarded Giovan Battista with the rare and prestigious title of “il Commendatore”, a title given to those who show particular merit in business.
After the death of Giovan Battista the winery was passed to his son Francesco, and then to Francesco’s son Ignazio. Ignazio left his mark on the winery, the village of Verduno, and the entire wine world through his hard work and dedication to Pelaverga. At the time, WWII was taking place, and Ignazio was the only winemaker who continued to produce Pelaverga, growing his own Pelaverga grapes, and also purchasing small quantities from neighboring vineyards. Although today Pelaverga is in demand by discerning wine lovers, nearly 50 years ago it was looked down upon because of its bright garnet red color, which causes it to appear lighter than it actually is. Demand was so low at times, G.B. Burlotto didn’t attempt to sell it, and would instead give it away to friends and family. Pelaverga nearly went extinct in the 1970s, and G.B. Burlotto helped prevent this from happening.
Today, the winery is run by fourth and fifth generation Marina and Giuseppe Alessandria and their children Cristina and Fabio, who continue the amazing legacy Giovan Battista started nearly 200 years ago. G.B. Burlotto owns just over 16 hectares of vines in prime sites such as Monvigliero, Cannubi, and Castelletto, and produces wines from indigenous grape varieties such as Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera, Freisa, and Pelaverga, as well as a small production of Sauvignon Blanc. G.B. Burlotto remains committed to producing wines of the absolute highest quality, and does so without the use of predetermined formulas. They believe each vintage and harvest is unique, and needs to be treated differently. However, some things remain constant vintage after vintage; emphasis on hard work, dedication, patience, and maintaining a hands-off approach in the cellar. As a result, to this day, G.B. Butlotto continues to produce some of the most absolutely stunning wines of any producer in the world.
Our visit:
After a delicious lunch at Vinoteca Centro Storico, we headed over to G.B. Burlotto, for our highly anticipated visit. This was our second time visiting G.B. Burlotto, our first visit took place approximately 2 years ago. Like many of the other winery visits this trip, we’d originally scheduled a visit for the spring of 2020, which was sadly cancelled and rescheduled many times due to the Covid-19 situation in the world at that time. However, after a long and highly anticipated wait, we found ourselves yet again at the beautiful G.B. Burlotto estate.
Upon our arrival, we were enthusiastically greeted by Cristina, who we’d exchanged dozens of emails with over the last year and a half, and who’d been extremely accommodating with our ever changing plans during that tough time. It was great to finally be able to see another in person once again. We spoke for a while about all that’s happened since we last saw each other approximate two years ago, and then began one of the most anticipated moments of our trip, the tasting of the majority of G.B. Burlotto’s incredible wines.
Our tasting notes:
2020 Verduno Pelaverga: One of our favorite grapes, and favorite wines that G.B. Burlotto produces, vintage, after vintage. Over the last year, we’ve been able to taste the 3 preceding vintages of this amazing wine, and had most recently tasted the 2019 just a few weeks ago. It was quite interesting to compare the differences amongst vintages. On the nose there are notes of smoke, cedar, and pine. The palette delivers flavors of tart red fruit, smoke, white pepper, raspberries, cherry skins, and currents. Absolutely delicious as always, and perhaps our favorite vintage of this wine so far. As we tasted the wine, we spoke with Cristina about the wine’s food friendly nature. In the past we’ve enjoyed Pelverga with carne cruda, mushrooms, truffles, beef carpaccio, and snails, it’s paired fantastic with all of these foods, and has proven itself to be extremely food friendly and equally enjoyable on its own meditazione. Cristina pointed out another pairing suggestion that we’ve yet to try, but look forward to trying very soon, that is with fish (particularly tuna), sushi, and prawns.
2020 Dolcetto d’Alba: G.B. Burlotto’s Dolcetto is quite different from most other Dolcetto d’Alba’s in that it is made from 50% whole cluster pressed grapes. The result is a Dolcetto that is extremely structured, serious, and capable of aging gracefully over the next few years. Year after year, this continues to be one of our favorite expressions of Dolcetto from any producer. Notes of strawberries and raspberries on the nose. On the palette, there are flavors of tart red fruit and black cherries. Vibrant acidity, great balance, complex, and structured. An outstanding expression of Dolcetto yet again.
2020 Barbera d’Alba Aves: G.B. Burlotto makes 2 different examples of Barbera, one known simply as “Barbera d’Alba”, and one known as “Barbera d’Alba Aves”. Aves, is produced only in exceptional vintages, and is made from a selection of grapes from G.B. Burlotto’s best and oldest vineyards. In the past, we’ve tasted G.B. Burlotto’s traditional Barbera d’Alba, but this was our first time trying Aves. Aromas of raspberry and strawberry coulis, on this extraordinarily fruit forward, and gorgeous nose. The palette deliveries flavors of crunchy red fruits, cooked sugar, and even a faint hint of cotton candy. Soaring acidity, unbelievable structure, and incredibly well balanced. Probably our favorite Barbera of the vintage and one of our favorite expressions of Barbera we’ve ever tried, truly phenomenal.
2019 Langhe Freisa: Beautiful aromas of blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries, very fresh and fruit forward. The palette is very fresh, fruity and easy drinking filled with tart fruit, alongside bright acidity, and soft, smooth, well-integrated tannins. A fantastic expression of one of our favorite grapes that often goes overlooked, and in our opinion doesn’t receive the attention that it deserves.
2017 Barolo: Made from a blend of different vineyards sites throughout Verduno. Extremely expressive fruit forward nose, packed with gorgeous, pronounced aromas of roses, some raspberries, and strawberries, which carry over to the palette. Super fine grained, well-integrated tannins, make this wine very approachable, but also provides fantastic structure. A very elegant, and well balanced Barolo. Delicious now, but will age gracefully for several more years and likely become even more enjoyable.
2017 Barolo Acclivi: Produced only in exceptional vintages, Acclivi, is made from a selection of the best and oldest grapes from different vineyards sites all located in Verduno (Monvigliero, Neirane, Rocche dell’Olmo and Boscatto), the final blend varies depending on the vintage. Pronounced aromas of tart red fruit, pomegranates, and a hint of wet earth rise from the glass. The palette is elegant, and filled with well defined flavors of raspberries, strawberries, pomegranates, and some rose petals. Super fine grained, silky, mouth enveloping tannins, with a tart finish. A fantastic Barolo, extremely enjoyable now, but will likely deliver even more drinking pleasure in years to come.
2017 Barolo Monvigliero: Grapes are grown in the famed Monvigliero vineyard, in Verduno. Monvigliero is located in the northernmost part of the Barolo growing zone, not far from the Tanaro river. Grapes are whole cluster fermented in open French oak vats, followed by a lengthy 2-month submerged cap maceration. Grapes are foot pressed to avoid damaging the stalks. The nose is filled with notes of elderberry, tree sap, candied red fruits, roses, raspberries, strawberries, and a faint hint of cotton candy. Exquisite, truly smells like no other Barolo, or any other wine that we’ve encountered for that matter, just an unbelievably beautiful, and elegant nose. The palette is filled with flavors of tart cherries, pomegranates, and rose petals. The mouthfeel is just incredible, silky smooth, soft, fine grained, beautifully integrated tannins. An extremely unique, very special, and beautiful expression of Barolo. It’s elegant, and perfectly balanced. One of the most approachable Barolos to enjoy in its youth, though it will definitely become even more enjoyable with additional time spent in the bottle, and will reward those who are patient and exercise restraint.
2017 Barolo Cannubi: Vines are located in the famous Cannubi vineyard in the Barolo comune. Aromas of tar, anise, wet earth, crushed cherries, and baking spices. Mouth enveloping flavors of cherries, raspberries, and rose petals. Smooth, well-integrated tannins. Very approachable in its youth, but has the ability to age gracefully, and deliver even greater drinking pleasure in years to come. An outstanding Barolo in every single way.
Our thoughts on the 2017 vintage:
This was the final tasting of our 2021 trip to Langhe. During our time here, we tasted many Barolos from the 2017 vintage. Our initial reaction to the vintage, which has been characterized by many as challenging, is that the Barolos from this vintage are fantastic. In our opinion, the vintage doesn’t get the proper recognition that it deserves from many critics and wine lovers. Although considered to be a difficult vintage by most, G.B. Burlotto, as well as many other high-quality producers, showed that in the hands of talented winemakers, this vintage is capable of delivering some truly extraordinary wines. This is also a testament to G.B. Burlotto as a producer of exceptional quality. The wines from the 2017 vintage may not be as long-lived as wines from 2016, 2015, or 2013, however, for immediate consumption, or even for consumption over the next several years, these wines shouldn’t go overlooked. They’re drinking absolutely fantastic right now, and in their youth should not be viewed as “lesser” wines when compared to the previous 2016 vintage, for example.
When discussing any given vintage, it’s important to note the vineyard site in question. During our trip, we visited many of the famed Barolo MGAs. Seeing the drastic differences in terroir in person, and tasting our way through the different wines from these sites across different vintages, we saw that a vintage generally speaking should not be defined by a blanket statement such as being simply characterized as “good” or “bad”. The Langhe has such extreme differences in terroir amongst the different vineyard sites, that in order to properly discuss what a particular vintage is like, and the effects that it had on the wines from a given year, one should specify the vineyard site in question. A vintage that was poor for one vineyard site may have been ok for another.
Key takeaways:
It’s no secret that we love G.B. Burlotto’s Barolo Monvigliero, the few vintages that we’ve tried have left us speechless, and it’s safe to say that this is one of our all-time favorite wines from any producer in the world. If you’re a Barolo-fanatic like us, chances are you’ve heard a lot about this wine from critics and Barolo-lovers alike about how truly extraordinary it is, and in our opinion it deserves every bit of recognition that it’s received, and more. However, one important takeaway from this visit, and last visit, was how amazing G.B. Burlotto’s Barolo Cannubi is as well. Generally speaking, this wine doesn’t get as much attention as Monvigliero from most critics and wine lovers, and we think that’s a mistake. In our opinion, G.B. Burlotto’s Barolo Cannubi is just as outstanding as Monvigliero, just very different. Don’t overlook how incredible Burlotto’s Barolo Cannubi is, and if you’re lucky enough to try it, you’ll see why.
Every single wine from G.B. Burlotto was absolutely spectacular. A common theme that we’ve noticed over the years as we’ve tasted some of our favorite producer’s wines is that the best producers are the ones whose entire lineup of wines is truly remarkable, not just the flagship wine(s) they produce. Again, if you’re a Barolo-lover like us, it’s no secret that over the years G.B. Burlotto has won over the hearts of many well-respected wine critics and Barolo-lovers, and in our opinion the recognition they’ve received is well deserved. Reading the reviews and tasting notes for these wines don’t do them justice, you need to experience them first hand. We can’t say enough about what an incredible producer G.B. Burlotto really is.
News about the winery:
G.B. Burlotto purchased a vineyard in Monforte in 2018. Beginning with the 2018 vintage they’ll add a 5th Barolo to their lineup of wines known as “Barolo Castelletto” which will be a single vineyard bottling from this magnificent site. We couldn’t be more excited to try this.
Thank you
Thank you, Cristina, Fabio, and everyone who helped make our visit to G.B. Burlotto possible. The wines were absolutely astounding, and we had such a great time speaking with you and learning about the wines and history of G.B. Burlotto. We loved our stay at Locanda dell’Orso Bevitore, it could not have been more perfect, and we look forward to returning very soon. Grazie mille! A presto!
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