Montanello, Tenuta
April 2024
I have spent more time at Tenuta Montanello than any other winery. They are not only a truly historic winery, but they are also an agriturismo with a terrific location that affords peace and quiet while remaining centrally located. This is not a promotion of this service they offer, as that would be counter productive for the author, just a statement of fact.
I was first drawn to visit Alberto Racca and Tenuta Montanello because of it’s position, on one of the ridges that extends out roughly from Castiglione Falletto towards La Morra. It shares this orientation and topography with the more famous Monprivato and Villero vineyards, which is what piqued my interest, though it is much more closely aligned with the Parussi vintage which is roughly a continuation of Montanello towards the northeast.
The Tenuta itself, a self contained farm, served as the original Cantina Comunale for the village of Castiglione Falletto, and as such predates virtually all other cantine in the region. Being built so long ago it’s not surprising that the winery, spread out between a pair of agricultural buildings, is not the most modern, but I do have plenty of first hand experience there and even though it is entirely above ground, the production and storage facilities remain cool and fresh year round.
The vineyards wrap around a promontory quite visible from the Alba-Barolo road, extend down to virtually the edge of the road were hazelnuts take over from the vines. The top vineyards face west and south, though there are vines planted as the hill wraps towards the north, and over the crest of the ridge where Barbera faces west.
The wines are produced in a small spectrum of styles, slightly traditional to slightly modern, and have certainly improved over the years in a gentle and consistent fashion. I do hope to see further improvement as recent plantings come into full production and further tweaks to the production protocols help to capture and preserve the signature of this terroir.
2021 Tenuta Montanello Barbera d’Alba
Aged in Stainless steel
Deep color, Classic Barbera nose, a touch of brownie, some ivy, clean and fresh with good precision, Lots of sweet fruit up front then a nice mineral note, good depth, the alcohol is the typical 15% though here it is slightly apparent, the acidity emerges on the backend with good cut, has a distinct minerality, larger scaled but deftly crafted. Clean and precise, with good energy and cut on the finish, meaty plummy fruit, floral aromas emerge with air on the sweetly fruited nose, nicely done. 91pts
2022 Tenuta Montanello Langhe Nebbiolo
Aged in Stainless steel
They pull the wine off the skins early to prevent excess tannin extraction from the seeds, and in general a too tannic nature.
The vineyard to the left of the house where there used to be meadow with horses.
Fruity, watermelon, wild cherry, lingonberry, a touch of blue flowers, a hint of stony minerality. Fruity on entry with firm tannins, though its not too tannic. It has a strong soil tone, a bit browner than most, tannins recall the Parussi tannins. It’s fruity with far more balsamic character in the mouth than on the nose, very clean with moderate length, tannins show their sweeter nature on the finish where the acidity peeks out as well. Quite precise and clean, and very fresh, the fruit does fade on the finish, it is very likable, a bit large scaled but blends bold fruit and typical nebbiolo structural character. Air builds a cooling menthol grace note. Almost a suave note, more citrus, sweet citrus blossom, definitely improves with air. 90pts
2020 Tenuta Montanello Barolo Castiglione Falletto
One year of bottle
Only big barrel, 24 months, the more traditional of the two Barolos produced here.
Very fresh, great cool balsamic character, fresh fruit, some incipient tobacco and rosehip notes lending complexity. Again with that slightly dark soil tone, pretty quintessential aromatics, clean, fresh good energy, bitter cherry fruit, white cherry, more delicate fruit, has some breadth on the palate, lingonberry, dry, slightly austere, has a hint of under-ripe blueberry on the palate but is generally an austere example of the vintage. There’s a fair amount of glycerine here lending weight, but also solid freshness with menthol character emerging late on the palate. Holds its 15% effortlessly, finish is a touch short, very wild cherry, the backend shows good austerity 90pts
2020 Tenuta Montanello Barolo Montanello
30% new barrique
One year in barrique, one year in botte
The nose has some fine shadings of oak but it is definitely better managed than previous examples. Pencil shavings, some nice, good cherry fruit, little spice, fresh, ok so I don’t like new oak but this has turned out very well, its got a slight excess of wood tannin, but it’s vivid and fresh in the mouth with finely captured red cherry fruit. Elegant and fine with good length and superb focus with a fine vein of acidity that lengthens the finish, a hint of sweetness coming from the wood/fruit interplay. Has a great texture with just that elbow of wood tannin marring the smooth raciness. A bit tarry with a floral extract and cherry liquor on the finale. This vintage, with its soft tannins, can absorb the tannin in a better way than more aggressive vintages, otherwise pretty elegant wine. 92pts
2022 Tenuta Montanello Langhe Chardonnay
A new wine, 2000 m of merlot, pulled it out to replant Chardonnay three years ago,
First vintage.
A few months on the lees followed by bottle ageing.
A nice hit of mossy florally on the nose, fresh fruit, clean a steak of cedariness. Fresh but ripe a hint of tropicality, a bit of mango with ripe cooked apple fruit, then some lemon curd, with a dusting of tannin. A touch spicy on the long finish which shows lots of fruit. Pretty big scaled, though with lots of depth in a suave, fruity style. 88pts
I have spent more time at Tenuta Montanello than any other winery. They are not only a truly historic winery, but they are also an agriturismo with a terrific location that affords peace and quiet while remaining centrally located. This is not a promotion of this service they offer, as that would be counter productive for the author, just a statement of fact.
I was first drawn to visit Alberto Racca and Tenuta Montanello because of it’s position, on one of the ridges that extends out roughly from Castiglione Falletto towards La Morra. It shares this orientation and topography with the more famous Monprivato and Villero vineyards, which is what piqued my interest, though it is much more closely aligned with the Parussi vintage which is roughly a continuation of Montanello towards the northeast.
The Tenuta itself, a self contained farm, served as the original Cantina Comunale for the village of Castiglione Falletto, and as such predates virtually all other cantine in the region. Being built so long ago it’s not surprising that the winery, spread out between a pair of agricultural buildings, is not the most modern, but I do have plenty of first hand experience there and even though it is entirely above ground, the production and storage facilities remain cool and fresh year round.
The vineyards wrap around a promontory quite visible from the Alba-Barolo road, extend down to virtually the edge of the road were hazelnuts take over from the vines. The top vineyards face west and south, though there are vines planted as the hill wraps towards the north, and over the crest of the ridge where Barbera faces west.
The wines are produced in a small spectrum of styles, slightly traditional to slightly modern, and have certainly improved over the years in a gentle and consistent fashion. I do hope to see further improvement as recent plantings come into full production and further tweaks to the production protocols help to capture and preserve the signature of this terroir.
2021 Tenuta Montanello Barbera d’Alba
Aged in Stainless steel
Deep color, Classic Barbera nose, a touch of brownie, some ivy, clean and fresh with good precision, Lots of sweet fruit up front then a nice mineral note, good depth, the alcohol is the typical 15% though here it is slightly apparent, the acidity emerges on the backend with good cut, has a distinct minerality, larger scaled but deftly crafted. Clean and precise, with good energy and cut on the finish, meaty plummy fruit, floral aromas emerge with air on the sweetly fruited nose, nicely done. 91pts
2022 Tenuta Montanello Langhe Nebbiolo
Aged in Stainless steel
They pull the wine off the skins early to prevent excess tannin extraction from the seeds, and in general a too tannic nature.
The vineyard to the left of the house where there used to be meadow with horses.
Fruity, watermelon, wild cherry, lingonberry, a touch of blue flowers, a hint of stony minerality. Fruity on entry with firm tannins, though its not too tannic. It has a strong soil tone, a bit browner than most, tannins recall the Parussi tannins. It’s fruity with far more balsamic character in the mouth than on the nose, very clean with moderate length, tannins show their sweeter nature on the finish where the acidity peeks out as well. Quite precise and clean, and very fresh, the fruit does fade on the finish, it is very likable, a bit large scaled but blends bold fruit and typical nebbiolo structural character. Air builds a cooling menthol grace note. Almost a suave note, more citrus, sweet citrus blossom, definitely improves with air. 90pts
2020 Tenuta Montanello Barolo Castiglione Falletto
One year of bottle
Only big barrel, 24 months, the more traditional of the two Barolos produced here.
Very fresh, great cool balsamic character, fresh fruit, some incipient tobacco and rosehip notes lending complexity. Again with that slightly dark soil tone, pretty quintessential aromatics, clean, fresh good energy, bitter cherry fruit, white cherry, more delicate fruit, has some breadth on the palate, lingonberry, dry, slightly austere, has a hint of under-ripe blueberry on the palate but is generally an austere example of the vintage. There’s a fair amount of glycerine here lending weight, but also solid freshness with menthol character emerging late on the palate. Holds its 15% effortlessly, finish is a touch short, very wild cherry, the backend shows good austerity 90pts
2020 Tenuta Montanello Barolo Montanello
30% new barrique
One year in barrique, one year in botte
The nose has some fine shadings of oak but it is definitely better managed than previous examples. Pencil shavings, some nice, good cherry fruit, little spice, fresh, ok so I don’t like new oak but this has turned out very well, its got a slight excess of wood tannin, but it’s vivid and fresh in the mouth with finely captured red cherry fruit. Elegant and fine with good length and superb focus with a fine vein of acidity that lengthens the finish, a hint of sweetness coming from the wood/fruit interplay. Has a great texture with just that elbow of wood tannin marring the smooth raciness. A bit tarry with a floral extract and cherry liquor on the finale. This vintage, with its soft tannins, can absorb the tannin in a better way than more aggressive vintages, otherwise pretty elegant wine. 92pts
2022 Tenuta Montanello Langhe Chardonnay
A new wine, 2000 m of merlot, pulled it out to replant Chardonnay three years ago,
First vintage.
A few months on the lees followed by bottle ageing.
A nice hit of mossy florally on the nose, fresh fruit, clean a steak of cedariness. Fresh but ripe a hint of tropicality, a bit of mango with ripe cooked apple fruit, then some lemon curd, with a dusting of tannin. A touch spicy on the long finish which shows lots of fruit. Pretty big scaled, though with lots of depth in a suave, fruity style. 88pts
4/18.2021
Next year will introduce a little chardonnay, replaced merlot, 2000 meters
2020 Dolcetto d’Alba 13%
Lovely, fresh floral, light very intense crisp fruit, very fresh and floral, a little sweetness, cranberry jelly aromatics, a hint of orange, juicy, very light and fresh on the palate, clean, super vibrant, good length, terribly typical super light and fresh Dolcetto, exactly what I would expect. Tons of acid, just enough flesh to keep it fun, zesty. 90pts
2021 Barbera d’Alba 15%
Just bottled, opened a day to allow sulfites to blow off
Sweetly fruited nose, ivy, sweet floral, hints of leather and soil, medium full, a touch chewy but quite fresh and fruit driven, clean, long, pure finish, lots of acidity but enough covering flesh to allow the finish to remain least, alcohol is well concealed, very nice, aromatic, juicy, and plum skin fruit driven and black cherry fruit flavors 89pts
2018 Barbera Crocetta 15%
20% new oak, 6 months in barrique
Pencil shavings kings greet the nose followed by deep, slightly roasted and cocoa dusted plummy fruit, has both green grassy and patisserie framing notes, rich,, almost silky, shows some spicy herbal accents on the palate, then hints of nutty, toasty oak followed by baked black cherry fruit, wild berry fruit ont he backend leads to a long, juicy, slightly hard blackberry candy fruit. This benefits from age, without a doubt, but the vintage shows through and the oak is obvious if far from dominant. 88pts
2020 Langhe Nebbiolo
Bottled one year ago, no oak 15%, from young vineyard in 2012
Watermelon, balsamic, wild berry, fresh, fruity with a woodsy undertone, Fresh on entry, a little chewy, fresh tannins, goof core of fruit, lovely easy styled wine, it’s quite structured, it’s a bit too powerful for me palate, but you can’t argue with he result, it’s fairly perfumed in the mouth, floral and perfumy, with an evergreen cast tot he finish, its very fresh and transparent, the alcohol perhaps lends an impression of sweetness on the finish. 87pts
2017 Barolo Castiglione Falletto 14.5%
24 months in big barrel Slavonian oak
Delicate, shows some Slavonian wood influence, burnished cherry, minty, icy, rosewood, black cherry base note with a hint of lurking salumi. Cool, a bit compressed youthful, lovely balance here, mouthfeel is a fine balance between supple tannins, and juicy acidity. Gentle austerity tot he tannins ont he backend, there’s a hint of sweet spiciness to this, good length, this is a bit gentle, but it’s fresh nd pure, great tannic structure, ripe and lacy, there’s some wood influence, just a flicker of incense ont he finish. Savory, 90pts
2017 Barolo Montanello 14.5%
12 months in in French barrique, 30% new, 12 months in botte
Sweet, nutty cognac and cigar box aromas emerge first from the glass, followed by rather sweet, macerated cherry notes, licorice, root beer, rather fine and elegant in the mouth, juicy good acids, wood eases onto the palate after the supple fruit, rather polished tannins, oak become slowly more prominent if not dominant, it’s a very refined, rather suave wine, good length, oak integrating well, the wood becomes rawer on the nose, and definitely needs time to integrate, nicely nuanced wine, it’s fresh, and very well balanced, needs some time to loose the wood but showing very good promise. 91pts
2018 Barolo Montanello 14.5%
Better nose, wood is present but sweeter and delicate, pool of cherrie, gentle spice, hints of sweet herbs before the oak creeps in, elegant and refined, there’s lovely fruit here, delicate, wood tannins creep in a bit too much but of course this is young, this has some energy to it and real freshness of fruit, good length, there’s a fair amount going on here and it handles the oak better than the 17, but the alcohol shows through a bit. This is really quite good. Long finish great inner mouth perfumes. Great finesse. 92pts
Next year will introduce a little chardonnay, replaced merlot, 2000 meters
2020 Dolcetto d’Alba 13%
Lovely, fresh floral, light very intense crisp fruit, very fresh and floral, a little sweetness, cranberry jelly aromatics, a hint of orange, juicy, very light and fresh on the palate, clean, super vibrant, good length, terribly typical super light and fresh Dolcetto, exactly what I would expect. Tons of acid, just enough flesh to keep it fun, zesty. 90pts
2021 Barbera d’Alba 15%
Just bottled, opened a day to allow sulfites to blow off
Sweetly fruited nose, ivy, sweet floral, hints of leather and soil, medium full, a touch chewy but quite fresh and fruit driven, clean, long, pure finish, lots of acidity but enough covering flesh to allow the finish to remain least, alcohol is well concealed, very nice, aromatic, juicy, and plum skin fruit driven and black cherry fruit flavors 89pts
2018 Barbera Crocetta 15%
20% new oak, 6 months in barrique
Pencil shavings kings greet the nose followed by deep, slightly roasted and cocoa dusted plummy fruit, has both green grassy and patisserie framing notes, rich,, almost silky, shows some spicy herbal accents on the palate, then hints of nutty, toasty oak followed by baked black cherry fruit, wild berry fruit ont he backend leads to a long, juicy, slightly hard blackberry candy fruit. This benefits from age, without a doubt, but the vintage shows through and the oak is obvious if far from dominant. 88pts
2020 Langhe Nebbiolo
Bottled one year ago, no oak 15%, from young vineyard in 2012
Watermelon, balsamic, wild berry, fresh, fruity with a woodsy undertone, Fresh on entry, a little chewy, fresh tannins, goof core of fruit, lovely easy styled wine, it’s quite structured, it’s a bit too powerful for me palate, but you can’t argue with he result, it’s fairly perfumed in the mouth, floral and perfumy, with an evergreen cast tot he finish, its very fresh and transparent, the alcohol perhaps lends an impression of sweetness on the finish. 87pts
2017 Barolo Castiglione Falletto 14.5%
24 months in big barrel Slavonian oak
Delicate, shows some Slavonian wood influence, burnished cherry, minty, icy, rosewood, black cherry base note with a hint of lurking salumi. Cool, a bit compressed youthful, lovely balance here, mouthfeel is a fine balance between supple tannins, and juicy acidity. Gentle austerity tot he tannins ont he backend, there’s a hint of sweet spiciness to this, good length, this is a bit gentle, but it’s fresh nd pure, great tannic structure, ripe and lacy, there’s some wood influence, just a flicker of incense ont he finish. Savory, 90pts
2017 Barolo Montanello 14.5%
12 months in in French barrique, 30% new, 12 months in botte
Sweet, nutty cognac and cigar box aromas emerge first from the glass, followed by rather sweet, macerated cherry notes, licorice, root beer, rather fine and elegant in the mouth, juicy good acids, wood eases onto the palate after the supple fruit, rather polished tannins, oak become slowly more prominent if not dominant, it’s a very refined, rather suave wine, good length, oak integrating well, the wood becomes rawer on the nose, and definitely needs time to integrate, nicely nuanced wine, it’s fresh, and very well balanced, needs some time to loose the wood but showing very good promise. 91pts
2018 Barolo Montanello 14.5%
Better nose, wood is present but sweeter and delicate, pool of cherrie, gentle spice, hints of sweet herbs before the oak creeps in, elegant and refined, there’s lovely fruit here, delicate, wood tannins creep in a bit too much but of course this is young, this has some energy to it and real freshness of fruit, good length, there’s a fair amount going on here and it handles the oak better than the 17, but the alcohol shows through a bit. This is really quite good. Long finish great inner mouth perfumes. Great finesse. 92pts
From an on site visit May 2017
Tenuta Montanello has intrigued me for over a decade, with it's terrific hillside vineyards just to the north of Cavallotto's Bricco Boschis and Mascarello's Monprivato it is an enviable position. Alberto Racca, who inherited the property at the close of the 1990s has been hard at work, slowly replanting the vineyards, converting to less impactful farming, and in general reviving a property that had once served as the first Cantina Sociale of the region. The wines represent an intelligent synthesis of tradition and modernity, though still playing a bit of catch up perhaps. It is possible, and even probable now that I've seen many vintage in bottle, that, not with standing this property's proximity to the aforementioned vineyards of fame, it may in fact have more in common with the Parussi vineyard which lies once again to the north. A vine
2015 Tenuta Montanello Dolcetto d'Alba 13%
Aged in inox
Lovely nose, lean and tart with floral top notes and intensity with a decidedly red fruit tone, evergreen and a little balsamic shadings. It's really interesting, not terribly fruit driven, though more red than purple fruit with lots of acid, making for a fresh, balanced and juicy example of Dolcetto that’s a bit rustic, a bit short, not terribly fruity, but has the sweetness of ripeness. 86pts
2015 Tenuta Montanello Barbera d'Alba 14%
Aged in inox
Rather intensely aromatic with lovely leather, black cherry, balsamic, and dried herb aromas with just a hint of of black pepper. Pleasant in the mouth with good acids, lovely if simple sliced plum and red cherry fruit and a nice elegant nature. While lacking a touch of tension, this is clean and fresh, and the finish is actually very nice, long, with juicy acids and a lovely plummy nature. 87pts
2015 Tenuta Montanello Barbera d'Alba Crochetta 15%
Aged in barrique, 20% new, for ten months,
The nose shows the influence of the wood, it's a bit spicy and sweet with pipe briar and tobacco and vaguely cinnamon notes. Texturally it's more opulent and round in style, there's still plenty of vibrant acidity supporting lovely fruit, though a bit riper with more juicy and dark, black cherry toned fruit with rather fine violet notes in the mouth all topped relatively gently by oak and spice. Wood tannin remains in the mouth, it sticks out for me, but would be barely noticeable for most people. 87pts
2015 Tenuta Montanello Langhe Nebbiolo 15%
Aged only in inox
Classic nebbiolo nose, sweet, lightly spiced burnished cherry fruit with hints of cardamom and mint adding complexity. Rich and rather luscious in the mouth, though only medium plus body with soft tannins supporting sweet cherry berry fruit that is nicely aromatic in the mouth lending this an almost Barbaresco like feel. Juicy with a bit of quince on the backend, holds the alcohol really well, while this is fairly impressive, this is a touch short, though there's a lot to like here. Lacking a touch of focus and drive perhaps but this is a lot of Nebbiolo that is not trying to be baby Barolo. 88pts
2013 Tenuta Montanello Barolo 14.5%
Montanello
First year in small wood, second year in botte
2015 has started to produce a barolo that sees only two years in botte
Very pleasant, there's some wood here but there are also fine clay aromas, red cherry fruit and nuanced cinnamon spice, pork fat, and black pepper accents. In the mouth the oak spice is a bit assertive, noticeable on the dry, austere palate where the wood tannins are contributing to the impact here. Nicely structured for a thirteen, but this does carry significant tannins on the palate with little richness to the fruit. A bit short but this is fresh and fairly precise with dried maraschino cherry fruit, a hint of dried orange peel and some fairly pleasant baked pie crust notes on the finish. 87pts
Usually ferments five tanks of Nebbiolo, then chooses the best for Barolo, usually the Michet south facing vineyard while the Nebbiolo comes from the southwest facing big vineyards behind the tasting room part of the house
Tenuta Montanello has intrigued me for over a decade, with it's terrific hillside vineyards just to the north of Cavallotto's Bricco Boschis and Mascarello's Monprivato it is an enviable position. Alberto Racca, who inherited the property at the close of the 1990s has been hard at work, slowly replanting the vineyards, converting to less impactful farming, and in general reviving a property that had once served as the first Cantina Sociale of the region. The wines represent an intelligent synthesis of tradition and modernity, though still playing a bit of catch up perhaps. It is possible, and even probable now that I've seen many vintage in bottle, that, not with standing this property's proximity to the aforementioned vineyards of fame, it may in fact have more in common with the Parussi vineyard which lies once again to the north. A vine
2015 Tenuta Montanello Dolcetto d'Alba 13%
Aged in inox
Lovely nose, lean and tart with floral top notes and intensity with a decidedly red fruit tone, evergreen and a little balsamic shadings. It's really interesting, not terribly fruit driven, though more red than purple fruit with lots of acid, making for a fresh, balanced and juicy example of Dolcetto that’s a bit rustic, a bit short, not terribly fruity, but has the sweetness of ripeness. 86pts
2015 Tenuta Montanello Barbera d'Alba 14%
Aged in inox
Rather intensely aromatic with lovely leather, black cherry, balsamic, and dried herb aromas with just a hint of of black pepper. Pleasant in the mouth with good acids, lovely if simple sliced plum and red cherry fruit and a nice elegant nature. While lacking a touch of tension, this is clean and fresh, and the finish is actually very nice, long, with juicy acids and a lovely plummy nature. 87pts
2015 Tenuta Montanello Barbera d'Alba Crochetta 15%
Aged in barrique, 20% new, for ten months,
The nose shows the influence of the wood, it's a bit spicy and sweet with pipe briar and tobacco and vaguely cinnamon notes. Texturally it's more opulent and round in style, there's still plenty of vibrant acidity supporting lovely fruit, though a bit riper with more juicy and dark, black cherry toned fruit with rather fine violet notes in the mouth all topped relatively gently by oak and spice. Wood tannin remains in the mouth, it sticks out for me, but would be barely noticeable for most people. 87pts
2015 Tenuta Montanello Langhe Nebbiolo 15%
Aged only in inox
Classic nebbiolo nose, sweet, lightly spiced burnished cherry fruit with hints of cardamom and mint adding complexity. Rich and rather luscious in the mouth, though only medium plus body with soft tannins supporting sweet cherry berry fruit that is nicely aromatic in the mouth lending this an almost Barbaresco like feel. Juicy with a bit of quince on the backend, holds the alcohol really well, while this is fairly impressive, this is a touch short, though there's a lot to like here. Lacking a touch of focus and drive perhaps but this is a lot of Nebbiolo that is not trying to be baby Barolo. 88pts
2013 Tenuta Montanello Barolo 14.5%
Montanello
First year in small wood, second year in botte
2015 has started to produce a barolo that sees only two years in botte
Very pleasant, there's some wood here but there are also fine clay aromas, red cherry fruit and nuanced cinnamon spice, pork fat, and black pepper accents. In the mouth the oak spice is a bit assertive, noticeable on the dry, austere palate where the wood tannins are contributing to the impact here. Nicely structured for a thirteen, but this does carry significant tannins on the palate with little richness to the fruit. A bit short but this is fresh and fairly precise with dried maraschino cherry fruit, a hint of dried orange peel and some fairly pleasant baked pie crust notes on the finish. 87pts
Usually ferments five tanks of Nebbiolo, then chooses the best for Barolo, usually the Michet south facing vineyard while the Nebbiolo comes from the southwest facing big vineyards behind the tasting room part of the house