Tasting notes

As for its brother the Le Vigne bottling, this 2020 Aleste Barolo is surprisingly generous at such a young age. The nose is all red fruits and flowers, with notes of earth and minerals.

It shows more intensity than the LeVigne but shares the extreme elegance and early generosity. On the palate, the tannins are more pronounced, with copious fruit and fresh acidity.

This bottling of the Aleste Barolo shows good concentration and intensity, but unlike its sibling Le Vigne will probably need a few more years to come together. The admirable intensity of this wine does not detract from the elegance and balance, but as we say in Italian, “ha una marcia in più” - it has another gear.

Ratings for the vintage 2020
Kerin O'Keefe 96 points 
Vinous 95 points 

Download wine description

Evolution of the vintage 2020

The year began with a mild, dry winter with few truly cold days. While January was mostly sunny some snow and rain finally arrived in mid-February. The end of February saw a rise in temperatures indicative of a precocious spring.

Early March brought continued good weather, unseasonably warm and dry, and we rushed to finish the winter work. By mid-March, the weather had cooled considerably, and the rate of vegetative growth slowed significantly.

In April, weather patterns were established that continued nearly the whole growing season: 4-5 days of brilliantly sunny days, followed by 1-2 days of rain. This gave plenty of water to the plants but complicated the treatments schedule. The extra humidity brought on serious infections of Peronospora in the region. Luca’s long experience allowed us to keep ahead of the disease and we saw no significant damage in 2020. Flowering in late May was under favourable conditions and brought a good crop set.

Some real heat arrived at the end of July but was mitigated by the continuing sun-rain pattern and the deep groundwater reserves that had built up. Warm weather continued until mid-September, when a series of thunderstorms cooled off the region. The next few weeks were exemplary, with bright, sunny days and crisp, cool nights. The fruit ripened evenly and constantly, and the harvest took place in ideal conditions.

The Harvest took place on October 9th.