CRISSANTE ALESSANDRIA

We discovered the wines of Azienda Agricola Crissante Alessandria on our trip to Piedmont in 2022 and this was one of the highlights, we were even fortunate to stay in the family’s fantastic guesthouse overlooking the village of La Morra. The estate was established in 1958 and is today overseen by Alberto Crissante who joined his father and uncle in 2007. He has since added a softness to the wines, producing a style of Barolo which is lighter, almost Pinot Noir-esque, characterised by freshness and fine-grained, silky tannins. They can be enjoyed much younger that old school Barolos which can be austere and overly tannic in their youth. As well as Nebbiolo, plantings also include other classic Langhe grape varieties Barbera and Dolcetto, which are spread over six hectares in total. The top Barolo wines Roggeri, Capalot and Galina are from ‘cru’ vineyards surrounding the village, the Roggeri and Capalot vines were planted at the beginning in the 1950s, whereas Capalot came much later in 2014. After macerating and fermenting in stainless tanks for two weeks, these impressive wines spend 24 months ageing in large Slavonian oak botti. There are also smaller barriques which complement traditional methods and add a modern touch, the oak element is always balanced and seamlessly integrated. What an exciting discovery this was, the future is bright for Alberto and his family.