PV Tasting Notes
The deeply-coloured 2008 Altrovino displays wonderful concentration in its sweet dark blackberries, herbs, floral and mineral tones. Medium in body, this lustrous and refined, fully-flavoured Cabernet Franc/Merlot blend is a beautiful and a highly representative wine of Luca d’Attoma, long regarded as one of the World’s finest winemakers. Should drink really well for a decade or more.
Independent Review90 points Antonio Galloni - The Wine Advocate Oct 2010
The 2008 Altrovino is wonderfully sleek and perfumed, with terrific balance in its red fruit, spices and flowers. A final burst of fruit informs the long finish. The 2008 is a mid-weight Altrovino. The 2008 harvest was challenging and the estate lost a significant part of its Merlot, causing overall production to drop around 30%. Still, if this is any indication, the juice that went into bottle is first-rate. Altrovino is equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot fermented in cement and aged in neutral French oak. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2014.
Proprietors Luca D’Attoma and Elena Celli continue to ratchet up quality in a meaningful way at their small winery in Riparbella. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically, while winemaking remains stripped down and non-interventionalist.
I could find dozens of dishes to enjoy this wine with, here are just a few; Thyme-roasted fillet of beef, Beef and horseradish stir fry, Corned beef hash, Beef bourguignon, Slow roasted four rib, Loin of lamb with a lemon and mint stuffing, Provencal braised lamb with lentils, Lamb shanks in red wine jus, Lamb stew with garlic dumplings, Roast shoulder of lamb with honey and herbs, Pork and fennel casserole, Stilton-stuffed pork loin, Braised belly of pork, Pheasant 'coq-au-vin', Pheasant and redcurrant fricassée, Roasted partridge with garlic jus, Peppered duck breast with wild mushrooms and cream, Venison kebabs, Venison wellington, Venison casserole or even Griddled wild boar chop with griddled fennel and plum chutney.
The vinification process of the Altrovino is made in cement vats of between 30-40 hl in size where the maceration and both fermentation processes take place under temperature controlled conditions, following which the wine is matured for a further 9 months still in cement vats: the Altrovino sees no wood.
100% Biodynamic (Demeter)
Trailblazing oenologist Luca d’Attoma is probably most well-known for the wines he made at Tua Rita and the wines he continues to make at Le Macchiole, two of Bolgheri’s leading estates. In 2001 D’Attoma and his partner Elena Celli purchased several hectares of land in Riparbella, located in the northern reaches of Maremma. The seven hectares of hillside vineyards, which lie adjacent to Castello del Terriccio on their eastern border, are densely planted and farmed biodynamically. I was the first company to purchase from Duemani these are some of the finest wines made in the region solely due to the winemaking philosophy. Duemani is a very young property, and there is a great deal to look forward to here.