Barolo Acclivi

Acclivi is Burlotto's village blend of Nebbiolo from the estate's four core Verduno parcels - Monvigliero, Neirane, Rocche dell'Olmo, and Boscatto - bottled only in strong vintages. The name comes from the Latin acclivis, meaning "steep slopes." All four sites sit on the laminated marls of Sant'Agata Fossili - a fine mix of clay, silt, and sand with a strong limestone component - on the cooler, paler northern edge of the Barolo zone above the Tanaro river. The blend is shaped to express Verduno as a whole: aromatic lift and elegance rather than weight.

Unlike Monvigliero, Acclivi is destemmed. Hand-harvested in 20-kilo crates, moved by gravity into open French oak vats, fermented with indigenous yeasts and worked with daily pump-over and punch-down. Malolactic and maturation in large Allier oak for between twenty and thirty-three months depending on vintage, with at least nine months bottle rest before release. No barriques. 14.5% ABV.

2021 was a classic-leaning year in the Langhe - warmer than average without heat spikes, with cool pre-harvest nights preserving aromatics and acidity. Critics have widely compared the vintage to 2016. Notably, this 2021 release marks Acclivi's return: in 2020, June hail damaged Neirane, Rocche dell'Olmo, and Boscatto severely enough that no Acclivi was bottled that vintage.