From: Piedmont, Italy
Varietal: Nebbiolo
Tasting Notes and Critical Acclaim: It blends Nebbiolo from various vineyards in Verduno, offering a rich aromatic profile of rose, woodland berry, cedar, dark spice, and wild rosemary. The palate experience is equally mesmerizing – a symphony of red cherry, wild strawberry, and star anise encased in taut, refined tannins.
“The Comm. G.B. Burlotto 2020 Barolo has delicate floral aromas with almond blossom and red fruits. To the palate, the wine shows a very tight and compact texture, tonic and polished, with lingering lavender bud, some grilled herb, sour cherry, tart flavors, glossy tannins and nice acidity. This is one for the purists.” —Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, 95 points
“Medium red in color, the 2020 Barolo is inviting and fruity. Its characteristic elegant profile features notes of pristinely preserved strawberries, candied roses, apricot, and sweet tea. Medium-bodied and fresh, with delicate, sweet fruit floating through the palate, it has ultra-fine tannins, and a clean, long finish. It’s easy to love this now, and it will have a wide open window for enjoyment over the next 5-7 years. Drink: 2024-2031.” —Audrey Frick, JebDunnuck.com, 93 points (May 2024)
“The 2020 classic Barolo from Comm. G.B. Burlotto embodies the accessible nature of the friendly vintage. It’s ethereally elegant, offering aromas of dog rose, camphor and dark spice while the graceful palate shows juicy strawberry, star anise and white pepper. Lithe tannins provide seamless support. Drink through 2030.” —Kerin O’Keefe, 92 points (January 2024)
Pairing: Nebbiolo, renowned for its bold character, high tannins, and full-bodied nature, is a superb choice for pairing with rich, meaty dishes. The robust structure of Nebbiolo, especially prominent in its famous iterations as Barolo and Barbaresco wines, makes it an ideal companion for hearty beef pasta dishes. The luscious fat in these dishes harmoniously interacts with the wine's strong tannins, creating a delightful balance on the palate. Beyond pasta, Nebbiolo also complements grilled or roasted red meats, particularly those with a good amount of marbling. The fat content in these meats mellows the wine's tannins, enhancing the overall dining experience. Consider a dish like slow-cooked beef short ribs or a classic Italian osso buco for a truly indulgent pairing.
Garlic Braised Short Ribs With Red Wine
By Alison Roman
About. Burlotto is the flagship producer from Barolo’s Verduno area. This is a property of enormous historic importance, fabulously delicious wines, and outstanding value.
The Commendatore Giovan Battista Burlotto, one of Barolo's great characters, founded the estate back in 1850. The labels still commemorate the royal house of Savoy’s fondness for Burlotto wines, as well as the winery’s exclusive presence on Duke Luigi Amedeo's 1899 North Pole expedition. The Duke lost two fingers to frostbite, but wrote to the Commendatore a year and a half into the trip that “[t]he wine has been conserved in perfect condition.” G.B. Burlotto was also a pioneer of selling wine in bottle (rather than in cask or demijohn), as well as a champion of a now-rare but still-ravishing grape, Pelaverga Piccolo.
Five generations later, G.B.’s great-great-grandson, Fabio Alessandria, has changed little at the winery, doing some of the crush by foot, fermenting the wine in upright wooden vats, using indigenous yeast and little temperature control.
We love Burlotto wines for their history, but even more for their diversity, their pure fruit, delicate structure, and signature Verduno floral aromatics and spicy palate. The family's single-vineyard Barolos, especially the culty Monvigliero, are some of Piedmont's most lauded wines, critical and collector favorites year-in and year-out. But they continue to make extraordinary wines for Piedmont's more humble grapes (including Dolcetto, Barbera, Preisa, and of course Pelaverga), wines that don't attempt to turn those grapes into Nebbiolo blockbusters but rather that show their unique charms and terroir transparency. The sheer drinkability of these "lesser" wines is is tremendous, and the pricing for such special bottles from such top-rank grower, is shockingly accessible.
Wine Notes. The 2020 Comm G.B. Burlotto Barolo DOCG is a testament to the rich viticultural heritage and geologically diverse terroir of Verduno, the northernmost municipality of the Barolo area. This distinguished wine emerges from a landscape where the soils are a complex interplay between the Tortonian and Messinian geological eras, predominantly composed of laminated fossil marls of Sant’Agata and the Cassano Spinola Formation. These calcareous soils, enriched with balanced clay, sand, and silt proportions, are key to the vineyards' excellent water retention abilities.
The vineyards contributing to this Barolo are distinctive in their geographical layout and cultivation practices. Breri, with its southern exposure and an elevation of 240 meters, spans 0.77 hectares. Neirane, slightly higher at 370 meters, faces west and covers one hectare. Rocche Olmo and Boscatto, sharing the same altitude as Neirane but with eastern exposure, measure 1.25 and 1.13 hectares, respectively. All vines are meticulously trained in the Guyot style, a practice that further exemplifies the winemaker's commitment to quality.
Vinification of this exquisite wine is a delicate, hands-on process. Grapes are hand-harvested to ensure integrity and selectivity. Once in the cellar, they're de-stemmed and gently transferred into open French oak vats for fermentation, employing gravity to maintain the fruit's integrity. Maceration involves careful pumping over and punching down daily, with temperature control to avoid excessive heat.
The maturation process of this Barolo is equally meticulous. Malolactic fermentation occurs in large French oak barrels, followed by a maturation period ranging from 20 to 33 months, varying with the vintage. After bottling in summer, the wine is allowed a rest period of at least nine months in the cellar before release.
