In the glass the Albarone amazes already for its intense violet colour. In the nose it is a spectacle of aromas of ripe cherry, plum, berries and spices with balsamic note. On the palate it expresses all its power: it is extremely pulpy, tannic but smooth and it has an extraordinary concentration of fruit. It is very long, with a sweetness that reveals a taste of blueberry and ripe plum.
The grape variety Albarossa was born thanks to Prof. Giovanni Dalmasso, who combined genetically Nebbiolo from Dronero (the flower), called Katus, and Barbera (the pollen) to create a new vine varietal. In the 80’s of 20th century it was vinified for the first time by Prof. Mannini, of the CNR in Turin, starting the experimentation at Tenuta Cannona, wine experimental centre of Region Piemonte. The first implantations for commercial aims date back to the first 2000’s, while the first DOC with the appellation Piemonte DOC Albarossa is from 2009.
The Bonfante family has been producing wines in Nizza Monferrato (AT), Piedmont, since 8 generations, in an area that represents the area of excellence for the production of Barbera d'Asti and which in 2014 obtained the "Nizza DOCG" designation. The Marco Bonfante winery was founded in 2000 when the brothers Micaela and Marco Bonfante decided to start their own production process, this happens following the death of their father Domenico and the subsequent split of the winery he founded in which they already actively operated. The winery is a family-run company; Marco, graduated from the Oenological School of Alba, is the wine maker and deals with the production and management of the company at 360 degrees, assisted by an oenologist consultant Gianluca Scaglione, by an agronomist Daniele Eberle and by a certified laboratory of analysis the Bio-Chemical, while the administrative and shipment management is the responsibility of her sister Micaela.
The production philosophy reflects Bonfante's signature taste which is based on Marco's intuitions and preferences, made of simplicity and clarity. “Wines must be elegant.” Structure, fruit, harmony and complexity are sought in red wines. The different vineyards and the grapes are selected and separated during the harvest, allocating them to different processes, both of vinification and of refinemant, depending on the goal to be achieved. The common point is always the balance between structure, acidity and alcohol. The aging in wood must complement the structure of the wine without ever overpowering it. The most important red grapes are: Nebbiolo, Barbera, Albarossa, Cabernet Sauvignon and Brachetto.
Pairing Suggestions: Albarone pairs perfectly with very structured meat dishes, like pork cheek in red wine sauce, or veal stew. Exceptional is the pairing with pappardelle with venison and chestnuts sauce. With the refinement it is very interesting with desserts, like the chocolate pie with melting heart or the chocolate chestnuts pie.
Maturation: The harvested grapes get destalked and soft-pressed. After that, we place them in steel vinificator machines for a cold maceration. The process, which lasts about 36/40 hours, favours the maximal extraction from the fruit of aromas, colour and structure. Then the Albarone ages for a total of 24 months in 1000 lt. French oak barrels. Before putting it on the market, the wine stays in the bottle in our cellar at a controlled temperature (12°C) for 12 months.
