When you mention Verduno to savvy sommeliers they’ll give you a nod of recognition followed by a plea to keep quiet. As word has been getting out about this under-the-radar Barolo commune, its wines are becoming ever more tightly allocated.
Maybe it’s climate change that has been driving so many producers to scramble for vineyard plots in Verduno, Barolo’s northernmost commune. But it’s also undoubtedly the vibrant, racy wines coming from Verduno-based producers like Fratelli Alessandria.
Verduno was one of Barolo’s leading production centers in the late 19th century, but by the 1990s its lighter style of wine lost favor to other communes like La Morra and Serralunga. Over the last decade consumer tastes have swung again, moving away from flashy, extracted wines and toward balance and restraint, bringing Verduno wines back into fashion.
The Alessandria family has been a fixture in the village of Verduno since the Franco-Prussian war. Winemaker Vittore Alessandria, son of proprietor Giovan Battista, makes Barolo according to family traditions, fermenting with native yeasts and aging the wines in large Slavonian casks. His wines emphasize finesse over power and weight. “We are never looking for a huge level of extraction,” he notes.
The Alessandrias own several choice plots in Monvigliero, Verduno’s “grand cru” MGA, where cool evening breezes from the nearby Tanaro River combine with limestone-rich soils to produce spicy and silky Barolos, redolent of rose petals and fresh cherries.
Alessandria’s plot in the San Lorenzo MGA is just a few hundred feet away from Monvigliero, but a little lower and less steep. The wine is typically more reticent but tends to show well early in warmer vintages. Flecked with notes of licorice and white pepper, it takes on savory tones on the finish.
In 2017 Alessandria elevated his Barolo classico to Barolo del Comune di Verduno, the first such wine from that commune. “We are lucky to have vineyards in five crus of Verduno, all with different exposures,” Alessandria says, and he adjusts the blend according to the vintage while maintaining a style that communicates Verduno’s essence.
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Despite the family’s close identification with Verduno, Alessandria’s mother inherited five vineyard acres in Monforte d’Alba’s Gramolere MGA. Its heavier clay soils yield a darker and more powerfully structured Barolo, though Alessandria’s imprint is evident in its seamless texture and vibrant red berry flavors.
While Alessandria’s Barolos are the headliners, his brisk and spicy pelaverga offers a highly entertaining opening act. A native variety that grows almost
exclusively in Verduno’s environs, pelaverga wines are floral and spicy, with succulent strawberry flavors that take on meaty notes of truffled sausage. Priced around one-third the cost of an Alessandria cru Barolo, Pelaverga Speziale is of the easiest ways to fall in love with Verduno, and has become a favorite glass pour among sommeliers lucky enough to score an allocation.
The Alessandrias own several choice plots in Monvigliero, Verduno’s “grand cru” MGA, where cool evening breezes from the nearby Tanaro River combine with limestone-rich soils to produce spicy and silky Barolos, redolent of rose petals and fresh cherries.
Alessandria’s plot in the San Lorenzo MGA is just a few hundred feet away from Monvigliero, but a little lower and less steep. The wine is typically more reticent but tends to show well early in warmer vintages. Flecked with notes of licorice and white pepper, it takes on savory tones on the finish.
In 2017 Alessandria elevated his Barolo classico to Barolo del Comune di Verduno, the first such wine from that commune. “We are lucky to have vineyards in five crus of Verduno, all with different exposures,” Alessandria says, and he adjusts the blend according to the vintage while maintaining a style that communicates Verduno’s essence.
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings.
Despite the family’s close identification with Verduno, Alessandria’s mother inherited five vineyard acres in Monforte d’Alba’s Gramolere MGA. Its heavier clay soils yield a darker and more powerfully structured Barolo, though Alessandria’s imprint is evident in its seamless texture and vibrant red berry flavors.
While Alessandria’s Barolos are the headliners, his brisk and spicy pelaverga offers a highly entertaining opening act. A native variety that grows almost exclusively in Verduno’s environs, pelaverga wines are floral and spicy, with succulent strawberry flavors that take on meaty notes of truffled sausage. Priced around one-third the cost of an Alessandria cru Barolo, Pelaverga Speziale is of the easiest ways to fall in love with Verduno, and has become a favorite glass pour among sommeliers lucky enough to score an allocation.
Fratelli Alessandria Wines:
- Barolo Monvigliero
- Barolo San Lorenzo di Verduno
- Barolo del Comune di Verduno
- Barolo Gramolere
- Pelaverga Speziale
FOUNDED: 1830
OWNERS: Giovan Battista, Alesandro and Vittore Alessandria
WINEMAKER: Vittore Alessandria
VITICULTURISTS: Gian Battista and Alessandro Alessandria
VINEYARD ACRES OWNED: 39.5
CASES PRODUCED: 7,500
ESTATE GROWN: 100%
IMPORTER: Bowler Wine, New York, NY / North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA
[stats as of Nov 2023]
