Red

Albarone

By Marco Bonfante, Nizza, Piemonte, Italy

Marco Bonfante Albarone

A 100% Albarossa from drying part of the crop, the winery's flagship; Marco began working on it in 2007. Each vintage carries a new label.

Tasting notes

Intense violet colour. Ripe cherry, plum, berries and spices with a balsamic note. Extremely fleshy and tannic but smooth, with exceptional fruit concentration and a very long finish with blueberry and ripe plum. Starts to show its real complexity after 5 to 6 years in bottle.

Pairs well with

Very structured meat dishes such as pork cheek in red wine sauce or veal stew; pappardelle with venison and chestnut sauce. With age it suits desserts such as chocolate pie with a molten centre or chocolate chestnut cake.

Technical details

Style
Red
Denomination
Piemonte DOC Albarossa
Grape
Albarossa 100%
Soil
Calcareous clay marl (the 2011 page adds a small share of silt)
Exposure
South, south-east
Harvest
70% of the grapes at the beginning of September, dried (appassimento); the other 30% in the first half of October
Vineyard planting
Guyot, 5,500 plants per hectare, 30 hl/ha, altitude 250 m
Vinification
Grapes are destalked and soft-pressed, then cold-macerated in steel for about 36 to 40 hours. Part of the crop is dried before pressing and added to fresh grapes left on the vine. Aged 24 months in 1,000 litre French oak barrels (latest vintage listed), then 12 months in bottle at a constant 12 C before release.
Serving temperature
16-18 C
Storage
Kept at a constant 12 to 14 C it can be drunk after 25 years

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