La Villa, Langhe, 2017

Name: La Villa, Langhe
Brand: Elio Altare
Price: 361.12 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2007 2012 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

justerini & brooks tasting note

Salty blueberry and plum fruit. Supple, balanced and lithe. Fine tannins and a gentle weave of minerality running through the middle. A harmonious blend with no hard edges, clearly more than just the sum of its parts. A beautiful marriage. A blend of 60% Nebbiolo from Arborina and 40% Barbera from Larigi, aged in 100% new oak barriques for 18 months. On average 3000 bottles are produced each year.

critic reviews

94/100Monica Larner,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The Elio Altare 2017 Langhe La Villa is a blend of 60% Barbera (from the Larigi vineyard) and 40% Nebbiolo from the family's historic Arborina cru. The wine is soft, supple and rich, driven in part by 18 months of aging in new oak. The dark fruit component sits squarely across barbecue spice, smoke and tar. The wine achieves good balance thanks to the acidic freshness of Barbera and the natural structure of Nebbiolo. I opened my sample hours prior to tasting, and the results sang loud and clear. Only 1,920 bottles were made.

DRINKING WINDOW 2020 - 2028

date of review 07/2020

95/100Antonio Galloni,Vinous

The 2017 La Villa, Altare's Barbera/Nebbiolo blend, is another fabulous wine in this range. The 60% Barbera gives La Villa wonderful depth, darkness and volume to play off the Nebbiolo aromatics and structure. Black cherry, plum, mint, spice, licorice and new leather build into the sumptuous finish. I would prefer to cellar the 2017 for at least a few years, its considerable beauty today notwithstanding.

DRINKING WINDOW 2022 - 2032

date of review 02/2020