Comm. G.B. Burlotto is a historic Verduno estate founded in 1850 by Giovan Battista Burlotto—“il Commendatore”—one of Barolo’s early bottlers and a supplier to the House of Savoy. The labels still recall another legend: Burlotto wines provisioned the Duke of Abruzzi’s 1899 North Pole expedition, a sign of the esteem the domaine enjoyed even then. Today the cellar is led by his descendant Fabio Alessandria, who has restored Burlotto to the front rank while staying true to Verduno’s graceful, perfumed idiom.
Vineyards are centred on the commune of Verduno, where lighter sands and marl give Barolo of lift and aroma rather than muscle. The flagship is Monvigliero, a south-facing slope whose wines are famed for spice, roses and a cool, saline thread. In the cellar, Monvigliero is vinified in a resolutely old-school way—whole clusters, gentle foot-treading, long macerations and ageing in large Slavonian casks—yielding a Barolo that is simultaneously delicate and structured, with haunting perfume and silky, long-chained tannins.
Burlotto’s range shows Verduno from several angles. Acclivi blends old-vine fruit from key Verduno MGAs to capture the village signature in a single bottling, while Cannubi adds a Barolo classic from further south, bringing a touch more breadth and cedar-spice to the house’s fine-boned frame. Beyond Barolo, the estate is also custodian of the local Pelaverga variety—bottled as Verduno Pelaverga—whose pale colour, peppery lift and red-berry crunch have become a sommelier favourite. Dolcetto, Barbera and Langhe Nebbiolo round out the line-up with the same clarity and restraint.
The style is consistent across colours and crus: native fermentations, measured extraction, and élevage that seasons rather than stamps. Young wines are crystalline and vivid; with time they trade primary fruit for rose, spice, tobacco and truffle while keeping Verduno’s airy elegance. For collectors seeking Barolo that marries tradition with precision—and perfume with longevity—Comm. G.B. Burlotto remains one of the Langhe’s defining addresses.
