Altare’s 2008 Dolcetto d’Alba offers up attractive varietal fruit in a fairly rich style for this vintage. The wine offers excellent persistence and a long, polished finish. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2011. I was completely blown away by Elio Altare’s 2007s. The wines show incredible purity of fruit, rich, textured personalities, soft tannins and sublime overall balance. This is one of the very finest young vintages I have tasted here. Interestingly the wines were much more open when I tasted them in New York in September 2009 than they were a few weeks later at the winery. I also was impressed with the white 2008 Cinqueterre, a wine Altare is making from impossibly steep vineyards in Liguria. The 2008 showed elements of Riesling-like minerality and tons of balance. A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including: de Grazia Imports; tel. (417) 732-4200; Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; (516) 677-9300, Estate Wines Ltd., San Rafael CA; (415) 492-9411, Giuliana Imports, Boulder CO; (303) 547-6343, Robert Houde Wines, Bensenville IL; (630) 422-1119

Lilac and lemon on the nose. Medium-bodied, with good, simple fruit and a clean finish, turning a little stemmy. Drink now. 2,080 cases made, 580 cases imported.??–JS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Dolcetto d'Alba Select to Add