Why it matters
The producer
Crissante Alessandria is a family estate in La Morra, a village and commune on the western edge of the Barolo DOCG in Piemonte. The estate makes three Barolo bottlings from Nebbiolo grown within the La Morra commune, ranging from a commune-wide blend to two named single-vineyard crus, plus a Dolcetto d'Alba. Crissante founded the domaine in 1958 with his wife Teresa, both from winemaking families. The family has continued winemaking operations across the generations since.
The range is built around place rather than winemaker signature. Each Barolo bottling draws from a distinct parcel or scale of sourcing within La Morra, and the differences between them are legible in the glass: the commune bottling is broader and more immediately open, the cru wines sharper in fruit character and concentration.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
La Morra sits on the western side of the Barolo DOCG, a zone of Tortonian calcareous clay soils laid down in the Helvetian era. These soils give Nebbiolo a different character from the sandier or more compacted ground at Serralunga d'Alba or Castiglione Falletto on the eastern side of the appellation. La Morra Nebbiolo tends toward earlier aromatic development, softer tannin, and a more open mid-palate in youth, while still carrying the appellation's depth and capacity to age.
The Barolo DOCG label on a bottle from this estate means the wine is made from Nebbiolo grown within the demarcated zone, aged for a minimum period before release, and sourced from within one or more La Morra parcels. A bottle labelled Barolo del Comune di La Morra draws from across the commune rather than from a single named vineyard. Capalot and Galina are named vineyards within La Morra, and their labels signal a tighter, more site-specific sourcing.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
All Barolo production draws from Nebbiolo parcels within the La Morra commune, farmed to produce the softer tannin and earlier aromatic character the calcareous clay soils encourage. The three Barolo bottlings, commune label, Capalot, and Galina, each reflect their source: the commune bottling blends fruit from across the La Morra holdings, while the two crus are kept separate to preserve site character.
Cellar work preserves the aromatic profile that La Morra Nebbiolo builds in the vineyard. Oak contact is detectable in the Capalot, where a hint of vanilla marks the palate alongside the red fruit, but the commune-level Barolo reads more toward herb, stone, and dried fruit than toward wood. The 2019 Barolo del Comune di La Morra carries a drinking window running from 2024 to 2034, suggesting ageing that allows the tannins to soften without losing the herbal freshness that characterises the wine.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range runs from Dolcetto d'Alba at the everyday end through to two named-vineyard Barolos at the top.
Barolo del Comune di La Morra is the commune-wide Nebbiolo bottling. Its colour is deep black-red with garnet glints. The nose is complex and layered: tobacco, red oranges, floral notes, rose water, fresh and dried herbs, earth, stone, and arabica coffee. Earlier vintages show cherry, ripe strawberry, and dried apricot. On the palate it is medium to full-bodied, with sweet red and black fruit, refined tannins, and a long herbal finish.