2015 Cavalier Bartolomeo Altenasso Barolo DOCG 750 ml

Sharing terroir with legends Brovia ($100) and Bruno Giacosa ($240), the Altenasso Barolo from the tiny Cavalier Bartolomeo estate is worth every penny of its $80 SRP. But at $38 each, it’s the kind of rare Barolo blockbuster we’ll be taking home by the case ourselves. 

Now a few years after the excellent 2015 vintage, this beautifully integrated Nebbiolo walks the knife edge of elegance, power and restraint. A textbook Barolo by any lofty standards, this has all the red rose layered with tar and dried cherry that we crave—not to mention the firm, masculine tannins that are a must in Piedmont’s flagship region. 

We knew little about Cavalier Bartolomeo’s Altenasso until our importer friend Tomas brought it in to pour us a taste. With the first sip of the 2015 Altenasso, we realized we were drinking something special, and were ready to take it at its regular $80 price. 

But even though our palates were doing backflips, we kept our cool. Since Tomas had mentioned something about making space for a new vintage, we threw out a proposition that we thought might make everyone happy: We’ll take as much as you’ve got, we told him. You’ll get your cellar space back, and we’ll get the word out to an army of Wine Access Old World red lovers that Cavalier Bartolomeo can compete with the biggest names of Barolo.

We could tell he liked what he was hearing, so we made our move. “But we’ll take it for half off—at least.” 

We studied his face. We could see the wheels turning. After what felt like five minutes, he slammed his hand on the table, then stuck it out to us. “Deal!” he said, then proceeded to pour the rest of the bottle around. He wouldn’t need a drop for any more would-be buyers, because every bottle of this blockbuster Barolo was on its way to Wine Access members at less than half the $80 SRP.

Wine Access, meet Cavalier Bartolomeo. 

The estate is named for its founder, who began making wines in the small hamlet of Garbellotto, in the village of Castiglione Falletto, in the 1920s. A century later, third-generation proprietor Dario Borgogno farms just four hectares of Nebbiolo for Barolo. The Altenasso site has a west-northwest orientation, and is adjacent to the famed Fiasco vineyard, whose Barolos can often take on some of the hard-edged power of those from the commune of Serralunga. But this Altenasso, especially in 2015, has more in common with some of the more softly contoured wines of Barolo and La Morra.

As Jancis Robinson reported from Piedmont, 2015 was indeed “an exceptional vintage” thanks to healthy grapes and exceptionally regular bunches. A very cold winter with plenty of snow and a protracted cool and rainy spring replenished the water tables, much needed during a July that was the hottest ever on record. The result was wonderfully structured wines like the 2015 Cavalier Bartolomeo Altenasso.

Tomas, Wine Access, and most of all our Piedmont-loving members: Everybody should be thrilled with how this deal worked out. But we can’t guarantee this level of discount again on a Barolo like this, so don’t miss out on Cavalier Bartolomeo at this price. We would have happily paid the $80, and after one sip, you’ll know why.