Monforte d'Alba, Barolo, Piedmont
Alberto Ballarin
Alberto Ballarin is a family estate based in Monforte d'Alba, one of the great communes of the Barolo zone. The cellar centres on a small parcel in Bussia, one of Monforte's most historic and respected crus, an amphitheatre of clay-limestone marl facing south. The Barolo is made in a polished, contemporary style, fermented in stainless steel and aged a little over two years in French oak, giving floral, silky wines with a firm core. Alongside it sit fresh, food-loving everyday reds led by Barbera d'Alba. An approachable, well-made introduction to serious Piedmont.
The Indent Offer.
Our pre-arrival offer is open. Under the en primeur system you reserve the wines before they reach Australia, and in return we hold them at heavily reduced indent prices for pre-payment.
To secure your order now, you can purchase the wines below directly through the online store. Alternatively, you may use our 2026 Indent Order Request Form, where you can choose wines from any producer on this shipment in one place. As quantities are limited, submitted order request forms are filled on a first-in, first-served basis. However you order, we will hold your bottles at the indent price, with payment required before the wines arrive in August, and confirm pick up or delivery once the container lands.
Email: store@lamontscott.com.au | Phone: 9385 0666
Available now at indent pricing. Quantities are limited and orders are confirmed on a first-come basis.
2024 Barbera d'Alba
Indent price: $24.00 per bottle
Barbera is Piedmont's everyday joy, all juicy fruit and bright acidity with no need for age, and Ballarin's is a fresh, well-made example from the Langhe. Dark cherry and plum, a savoury edge and that mouth-watering Barbera lift, it is the wine to pour with dinner any night of the week. The lively counterpoint to the serious Barolo.
2021 Barolo Bussia
Indent price: $87.00 per bottle
Bussia is one of the historic grand crus of Monforte d'Alba, and Alberto Ballarin farms a small south-facing parcel here on classic clay-limestone marl. Aged a little over two years in French oak, this is a polished, modern Barolo: rose and violet, sweet spice and red cherry, with silky tannins over a firm core. The 2021 vintage is hailed as a benchmark for the region, ripe and refined, built to reward a decade in the cellar.
94 points, James Suckling, jamessuckling.com “Lovely nose with tar, violets and roses, as well as licorice. Very complex and enveloping on the nose. The palate...”
“Lovely nose with tar, violets and roses, as well as licorice. Very complex and enveloping on the nose. The palate is very harmonious with focused, delineated fruit at the blue end of the spectrum. Polished tannins with linear acidity. Very well integrated and solid. Better in 2027.”
92 points, Jeff Porter, Wine Enthusiast “From this famed cru comes a wine that feels like an old soul in a modern suit. Dark cherry and...”
“From this famed cru comes a wine that feels like an old soul in a modern suit. Dark cherry and plum essences mingle with tar, dried herbs, and that classic Bussia iron minerality. The palate shows both power and poise, with blackberry tea and crushed violets riding those perfectly tailored tannins. There's a quiet confidence here that speaks volumes. Drink Now - 2040”
Need help choosing? For allocations, mixed cases or advice on cellaring, call the Cottesloe team or email store@lamontscott.com.au.