Fratelli Alessandria Barolo Monvigliero 2018
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Winemaker Notes
Verduno’s "grand cru" Barolo and a vineyard that finally is getting its due. This south/southwest facing plot forms a perfect amphitheater, at between 750 and 930 feet above sea level. The wine’s aromas are out of this world, powerfully expressive; tannins are suave, and layers of flavor slowly unwind as the wine sits in the glass. 'Monvigliero' deserves to be spoken in the same breath as Barolo’s very top vineyards — and with Fratelli Alessandria behind the bottle, it certainly will.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Heady aromas of camphor, rose petal and red forest berry come to the forefront along with whiffs of pipe tobacco and new leather. Full-bodied but refined and well-balanced, the savory palate features ripe Marasca cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice and mint alongside velvety tannins and fresh acidity. Drink 2026–2033.
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Wine & Spirits
This elegant and spicy Barolo offers flavors of soft strawberry and cherry laced with notes of fennel bulb, sweet basil and white pepper. The tannins feel cool and polished, contributing to the overall impression of finesse and the immediate appeal of this wine.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Barolo Monvigliero shows a beautiful signature of pressed violets, rose garden, white stone, crushed peppercorn and grilled rosemary. The wine is smooth and soft in texture, yet it feels stitched up and firm at the back thanks to the support it gets from those balanced tannins. This wine should hold 20 years or more.
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James Suckling
A tight core of raspberries, minerals and oaky notes. Medium-bodied with fine, lightly abrasive tannins and a focused finish. Compact at the moment with a light feel to it. But it should expand with a little bottle age. Try from 2023.
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Wine &
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
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Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling
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Wine
Spectator
Located in a charming XVIII century house boasting a simple yet imposing architecture, just by the historic centre of Verduno town, the winery was founded at the beginning of XIX century. Today the owner Gian Battista together with his wife Flavia, his brother Alessandro and his son Vittore proudly carry on their ancestors' tradition and passion for wine making. Fratelli Alessandria produce wines from their own grapes only, and has kept the family-run management. They have a direct and personal relationship with each vineyards and each cask a sort of invisible thread that they wish will reach and move consumers as well.
“A great wine comes from a great vineyard”: this has always been Gian Battista's firm belief. He is the one who takes care of the vineyards. In the winery they aim at preserving and quality and potential. This work is done by his brother Alessandro and by his son Vittore.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.