Elio Altare is a family winery in La Morra, in the Barolo zone of Piedmont. Elio's grandfather Giuseppe moved the family there from Dogliani in 1948, which is the year the winery dates from. Today it farms about 10 hectares, mostly nebbiolo, barbera and dolcetto, and bottles around 70,000 bottles a year.
Elio's approach changed after his first trip to Burgundy in January 1976. To make room for his first barrique, he cut down the orchard fruit trees and chopped up old wooden tanks. His father disinherited him in 1985, and Elio later bought the winery and vineyards back from his siblings.
In the cellar they use only indigenous yeasts, with no inoculation and spontaneous malolactic fermentation. The wines are neither filtered nor clarified. The family is also working on winemaking in Cinque Terre and a sparkling wine from the Liseiret variety in Alta Langa.
Not tasted yet
I haven't reviewed a wine from Elio Altare yet. They're on my Top 100 list, which is built from awards.