by James Robinson, Your Co-op Sommelier

The Pride of Piedmont Now Available on Pre-Sale to Co-op Members

A fresh vintage of some of the Piedmont’s most lauded wines will soon hit the Co-op’s shelves, and Co-op members will have first crack at these highly allocated gems.

The wines of G.B. Burlotto hail from the small town of Verduno, the northernmost of all the Barolo villages and one of the most dramatic settings in Italy’s Piedmont. This is the land at ‘the foot of the mountain’ – specifically the Alps – and it is the high elevation home to the great wines of Barolo, Barbaresco and Langhe, a region made famous for thin-skinned, age-worthy Nebbiolo redolent with aromas of tar and roses.

The old town of Verduno is perched atop one of the highest hills in the area and the high elevation of the vines coupled with the northerly, cooler setting provides for wines of finesse, low alcohol, bright acidity and soaring aromatics. These are wines for the Piedmont and Burgundy lover alike.

Giovan Battista Burlotto, known to his friends and family as ‘il Commendatore,’ founded the Burlotto wine operation in the mid-1800’s. He was one of the first in Barolo to sell his wines in bottle instead of the then-customary demijohn. And in the Bordelaise style, he proudly emblazoned his name across the label. This brash approach, coupled with the caliber of his juice, put Burlotto on the map and his name soon became synonymous with Piedmontese quality. Current operations, led by his great-great grandson, Fabio Alessandria, are rooted in Burlotto tradition – long hours of hard work among the vines, long macerations, large open botti for fermentation, large wood barrels for aging – and now, organic farming.

Under Fabio’s careful stewardship, the complexity and soul of these wines make them as essential as anything coming out of Piedmont today. The wines are beguiling, subtle, and considering the craftsmanship and care taken in their production – ridiculously underpriced. However, while they are inarguably some of the best values in the region, they can be ridiculously difficult to obtain. Specifically, because G.B. Burlotto remains such a small producer, the wines are highly allocated and often available only by special order. In other words, they come in a flash, and vanish until the next vintage. But now is your chance.

A limited supply of 2019 Burlotto wines has been made available to the Food Co-op. Beyond Nebbiolo, the Piedmont is home to delicious Dolcetto, Barbera and Freisa, and I have made a bold request for all the Burlotto wines available from the distributor. Nevertheless, and considering what’s available, I won’t know how many bottles I will actually get until delivery day. So, send me your wish list and I’ll fill orders on a first-come, first-served basis.

You can learn more about Burlotto wines here on ‘I’ll Drink to That with Levi Dalton or here at Verity Wines.

Pricing and availability are as follows.

Dolcetto d'Alba 2019 $19.99

Barbera d'Alba 2019 $21.99

Barbera d'Alba 'Aves' 2019 $25.99

Langhe Nebbiolo 2019 $24.99

Langhe Freisa 2019 $22.99

Please send orders to jamesr@foodcoop.coop

Images of the 2019 vintage are not available yet as the wines just hit the states!