Lots of crushed stone, hints of salted caramel, and fresh flowers. Some crab apple and cranberries. Medium-bodied with plenty of tannins, but not aggressive. Rough velvet. Give this time. Better after 2028.

Leasing land in Cannubi is very tricky and competitive. "It's a lottery," Silvia Altare tells me in her La Morra tasting room. Her lease on Cannubi is expiring this year (2023), and when I spoke to her, she was negotiating a 15-year renewal. With only 2,500 bottles released from three barrels (the first vintage from Cannubi was 2011), this is a gorgeous interpretation of Nebbiolo. The Elio Altare 2019 Barolo Cannubi is slender in form but rich and long lasting on the palate. The wine reveals tones of wild berry, crushed rose and exotic spice.

Fluid and elegant, boasting strawberry, cherry, rose, mineral, spice and wild herb aromas and flavors. Firm, harmonious and long, with finely wrought tannins and a graceful profile. Best from 2025 through 2042. 100 cases made, 33 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barolo Select to Add

This is a collectors' wine that owes its high bottle price to the prestige of the Cannubi cru and availability. A mere 1,500 bottles were produced of the Elio Altare 2018 Barolo Cannubi. The Altare family was able to get a lease on this special vineyard, and the first vintage made was 2011. This wine shows classic elegance, a graceful bouquet and fine tannins that give structure to the wine's mid-weight texture. The Cannubi ages in oak for two years, with 20% new barrels. This wine will be released in the fall of 2022.

Succulent cherry and plum fruit is framed by vanilla and toasty oak in this sleek, expressive red. Hints of tea, hay and tobacco add complexity as this winds down gracefully on the long finish. Firmly structured, with well-integrated tannins. Best from 2024 through 2042. 125 cases made, 38 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barolo Select to Add