Elio Altare is one of the true revolutionaries of modern Italian wine — the man who redefined Barolo and helped drag Piedmont into the modern era. His story is one of courage, vision, and rebellion against tradition — not to reject the past, but to refine it. Today, his name stands alongside the great innovators of Italy, and his wines are admired worldwide for their precision, purity, and emotional power.
The estate is based in La Morra, in the heart of the Barolo zone, where the softer, sandier soils naturally lend themselves to more perfumed, elegant styles of Nebbiolo. When Elio took over the family vineyard in the 1970s, Barolo was a sleepy region — rustic, often oxidised wines made in large botti with little attention to viticulture. Inspired by visits to Burgundy and Bordeaux, Elio returned determined to change everything.
In 1976, in a symbolic act of defiance, he took a chainsaw to his father’s large, old oak barrels, replacing them with new French barriques and introducing temperature control, shorter macerations, and lower yields — practices that were considered radical, even heretical, at the time. The move divided Barolo producers and effectively launched the so-called “Barolo Boys” movement — a generation of winemakers who embraced modern techniques to produce cleaner, more fruit-driven, and earlier-drinking wines.
But what distinguishes Elio Altare is not just innovation — it’s integrity. His focus has always been on farming first. The vineyards, spread across La Morra, Castiglione Falletto, and Serralunga d’Alba, are farmed organically, with meticulous canopy management and green harvesting to ensure balance and ripeness. Yields are among the lowest in Barolo.
In the cellar, the approach is one of quiet precision: gentle pressing, short fermentations, and ageing in French oak barriques (typically 30–40% new) for around two years. The wines are bottled unfiltered, preserving energy and finesse. The result is Nebbiolo that retains its soul — structured and noble — but polished, fragrant, and hauntingly pure.
Elio’s daughter Silvia Altare now leads the domaine, carrying her father’s spirit forward while refining the style further toward transparency and site expression. The range includes Barolo, Barolo Arborina, Barolo Cerretta, and the rare Langhe Larigi, among others — each a precise articulation of its terroir.
Elio Altare remains a symbol of Barolo’s evolution — a man who challenged dogma not for fashion, but for beauty. His legacy is wines that combine the perfume of La Morra, the discipline of Burgundy, and the heart of Piedmont — expressive, graceful, and timeless.
