G. B. Burlotto | Piedmont
Fabio Alessandria
The first time I visited Italy, I landed in Turino and was quickly swept away into the heart of Barolo, an area I knew and appreciated (which is putting it lightly) but didn’t realize how intensely captivating it would become. It was pitch black evening when I arrived and I was escorted by a producer into the small town of La Morra where a group of us oenophiles stayed up until an outrageous hour consuming numerous vintages of Barolo from a variety of cru sites and producers paired with tantalizing melt-in-your-mouth prosciutto and carne crudo. That night I knew I landed in one of the regions of my dreams.
Fast forward a number of years to when I joined Metrovino and stumbled upon a handful of producers I was not overly familiar with due to their exclusivity in this shop. Having devoted the past 4 years of my career strictly to Italian wines, naturally I gravitated towards that section of the store and started tasting my way through. It was here that I met the first wines I loved so much that I pushed them upon people until they were gone for the year – and both of them happened to be from the same producer, who of course has an extensive history within Piedmont; Comm G.B. Burlotto.
The namesake of the estate, Giovan Battista (G.B.) Burlotto, spent seventy-seven years as a winemaker and his accomplishments were revered worldwide. He was the official supplier to the house of Savoy, which once ruled Piedmont, not only making himself well known but also his village of origin – Verduno. He was the pioneer in the area of selling wine in bottles rather than in casks – a feat that followed the trend in the time in Bordeaux and forever changed the way we consume wine as well as the wines we across the pond have access to. Following G.B.’s death in 1927, the Burlotto estate faded as that same revolutionary ideology was not matched until the current winemaker, G.B.’s great-great-grandson Fabio Alessandria, took over. Fabio has continued the legacy of mind-boggling Barolo from the famous cru sites of Monvigliero and Cannubi Cru, as well as production of other varieties ideal for the Verduno area which includes the incredibly value priced and rapaciously pleasing Pelaverga.
The Burlotto estate is comprised of 12 hectares, 9 of which are situated in the northernmost commune of Verduno - known for the ideal and comprehensively south facing orientation, and 12/12 hectares known for producing wines you should put in your glass.
~Ali
