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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 95 pts. and median of 95 pts. in 56 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by hprphf on 9/22/2023 & rated 93 points: Not as large or dimensional as expected, but with good balance, black fruit, jungle berry, jammy, even young. 93+ (835 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 4/1/2022: Festa del Piemonte: Gala Dinner (The Pool in NYC): General consensus at the table is this was likely fake. I came to it a bit later and so didn't get to spend as much time contemplating. It's certainly more body and fruit and intensity than you might imagine given the years. I wasn't sure how it was stored or the treatment of it (sometimes I do find the wines come into themselves with time). But it did taste like it was likely a bit younger than it should be given the year and the wine. (2485 views) | | | Tasted by fclarity on 3/25/2022 & rated 95 points: This wine had a light red/tan center with tam/yellow rims. The medium+ intensity nose showed attractive cherries, tan spices, roasted meet, and a hint of alcohol and pine. The alcohol edge disappeared with extended air.
In the mouth, this wine was refined with great integration and fruit. It had almost no tannin and very good length. This was best with food.
Drink up! (1903 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 10/16/2021 & rated 95 points: Tony's 60th Birthday Celebration (Republique - Los Angeles CA): Also opened several hours in advance, but unlike the Giacosa 1978 Barbaresco Santo Stefano, this seemed like it needed more time and/ or more air. Firm start that was not particularly friendly, we managed to gradually coax pleasure from the glass. Red cherry, cloves, anise, dried herbs and floral hints emerged by the 30-minute mark, but this remained backward, while also powerful, regal and hinting at its vast potential. I know my note doesn't sound like the wine thrilled me, but we all enjoyed it, but all knew there is more to come. (3540 views) | | | Tasted by jhngo on 9/11/2021 & rated 95 points: delicious with lots of tang and live. fully resolved and lengthy finish. Really great wine! (2373 views) | | | Tasted by englishman's claret on 10/28/2019: A LOT of VA. Difficult to drink. Lots of cinnamon and red apple peel as well. (4524 views) | | | Tasted by fclarity on 5/27/2019 & rated 96 points: Tasted blind, this wine had a light red center and yellow rims. The medium+ intensity nose showed roses, tar, plum, soil, and white pepper.
In the mouth, this wine was medium to light bodied with rounded tannin, good richness, and great length. It was surprising how much flavor this light colored wine offered.
Once again, this wine showed the greatness that Barolo can achieve if held long enough and given many hours in a decanter. (3512 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 12/1/2018 & rated 94 points: Ken's 60th Birthday (Smyth and The Loyalist - Chicago IL): Red cherry, anise, floral and black pepper. Very alluring aromas to start, with similar flavors that are slightly less complex or complete. Charmingly elegant, but I was expecting or hoping for slightly more weight. Very different vs another bottle from earlier this year, which was more exciting at its peak, but didn't hold up as well as tonight's. (4550 views) | | | Tasted by Nanda on 12/1/2018 & rated 95 points: Ken's 60th Birthday (Smyth - Chicago, IL): Full nose that is amazingly youthful -- red cherry, clay, dried florals and a unique intense mint note. That palate is so fresh, ample and powerful. Still has legs to age even further, and perhaps show even more complexity. Wow. (3912 views) | | | Tasted by Lype on 11/17/2018 & rated 95 points: An otherworldly privileged experience. Tar, eucalyptus, orange peel, liquorice, rose water, herbal aromas, syrupy. A finer thing in life indeed. (3289 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 10/6/2018: DC/Chicago Wine Dinner Extravaganza (Rosewood Hotel Dining Room - Washington DC): Mature red cherry, earth and truffle aromas and flavors, with a hint of black pepper and clove. Everything was stunningly elegant and complex when first poured (97 points), but shorter and less interesting (92 points?) within 20 minutes, then declined further from there.
This bottle had been open for 6 hours when served, with a quick double decant because of sediment. I probably would have treated this wine the same, but that turned out to be too much air. (3080 views) | | | Tasted by dcwino on 10/6/2018 & rated 92 points: Annual Chicago winos visit - Champagne, DRC, Yquem, SQN and etc. (The Grill Room at the Rosewood DC): Fully mature nose that is dominated by VA. There is also shy dry cherry, caramel, leather, rusted iron, dark spices and tar. Fully resolved sweet palate, strong acidity and a long VA dominated finish. Alan mentions that the first nose was perfect. (2670 views) | | | Tasted by Robert Pavlovich on 1/15/2018: Everything the 58' Monfortino had, kicked up another level, just a bit more fruit and energy. Very much lives up to its legendary status. (2485 views) | | | Tasted by Burgnick on 10/26/2017: Not the best bottle of 61. Color is cloudy. Nose has prunes, tobacco, iron and blood. Palate is plummy with mushroom and sous bois. I wouldnt give a score on this as this bottle is clearly not well stored. (3065 views) | | | Tasted by fclarity on 6/4/2017 & rated 96 points: Tasted blind, this wine had a red center and yellow/clear rims. The medium+ intensity nose put forth cherries, roses, vanilla extract, wax, and brown spices.
In the mouth, this was one of the freshest tasting bottles I have had of this wine. It was a bit rough at first but mellowed nicely with air to show thick ripe fruit (even though the wine's color was pale), light tannin, firm acidity, and excellent length. It had lovely balance and huge length.
This wine was in prime form and was best after 7+ hours of air. Outstanding! (3833 views) | | | Tasted by The Vines That Bind on 5/13/2017 & rated 90 points: World's Greatest - Night III (Per Se): Oxidative and sherried nose but shows some fennel and licorice. Some asphalt mixed in with the tertiary herbaceousness. Sweet but sherried palate. Shame considering how interesting the '64 was. (3787 views) | | | Tasted by tinybubbles on 5/13/2017 flawed bottle: Showed some oxidation. Drinkable with light spice and dusty soil highlights. 87 (3101 views) | | | Tasted by kenv on 4/29/2017 & rated 98 points: Rare Monfortino Wine Dinner (New York Vintners, NYC): At 3pm: Rocking right out of the gate with complex fruit and leaf mulch. Expansive and stunning. Clearly a great bottle!
At 9:45pm: Even better after 6-7 hours of slow-o. Stunning aromas of black fruit. Rich and complex. Quite youthful still. I can see the resemblance to the 1978 and later Monfortinos. This must be Serralunga fruit. My WOTN. (4026 views) | | | Tasted by tinybubbles on 11/18/2016 flawed bottle: Oxidized. (2518 views) | | | Tasted by dcwino on 8/5/2016 & rated 95 points: French and Italian wine gathering (The Grill Room at Rosewood DC): According to Amy, decanted for a few hours. Incredibly fresh but slightly lean, a lot of Monfortino signature iron, sweet dry cherry, smoke, a hint of medicine and not showing much of balsamico. Very precise and lean palate, a lot of iron, good acidity, nicely integrated tannins and long finish. I would love to try this with minimum 24 hours of air. My guess is that it will show more balsamico hence add a bit more sweetness and weight. Nevertheless, another rare gem that is privilege and pleasure to drink. (4704 views) | | | Tasted by fcxj on 7/27/2016 & rated 96 points: Really big wine. Comes across young with great length. Very charming and developed into Madeira smells. Very sweet and round. (3363 views) | | | Tasted by kenv on 7/2/2016 & rated 96 points: Dinner at Ezio & Raffaella's (Turin, Italy): [Decanted around 1:30pm. Served around 11pm.] Gorgeous nose of dried cherries, Autumn leaf mulch, and a hint of brown sugar. Exquisite in the mouth with tart cherries, tar, and a touch of sherry. Medium length. Gorgeous and vibrant, but drink up. (3500 views) | | | Tasted by fclarity on 5/22/2016 & rated 95 points: Tasted blind, this wine had a red center with tawny/yellow rims. The medium intensity nose showed lemon, cherries, brown spices, and roses.
In the mouth, this wine was refined but also had a rich glycerol texture. The fruit was clearly fading but it still tasted great and felt balanced. In fact, this more this aired, the better it got.
This was not one of the better bottles of this wine I have had but it was still fun. Drink up! (3079 views) | | | Tasted by boston on 10/13/2015 & rated 99 points: Colore più vissuto del 1955, naso molto complesso di bella dolcezza, fiori macerati, agrumi canditi, amarena si susseguono e si alternano con note più autunnali di fungo, sigaro e terra. La bocca è fantastica, più potente del 1955, dal tannino ormai risolto, dove ritorna la dolcezza del frutto, si espande orizzontalmente e capitalizza le papille gustative per un tempo infinito. (4076 views) | | | Tasted by ricknat1 on 6/10/2015 & rated 100 points: The wine of the night for the me. All of the complexity and multiple layers of a great older barolo with a smoothed out, silky version of the Monfortino power. I loved it (4050 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, La Festa del Barolo 2017 (Oct 2017) (10/1/2017)
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Speciale Monfortino Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Vinous Table: Hurricane Sandy Charity Dinner at The Modern (Jan 2014)
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/20/2011)
(Giacomo Conterno, Monfortino Riserva Barolo Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, The Big One (7/26/2011)
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Haiti Charity Dinner (Jun 2010) (6/1/2010)
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Speciale Monfortino) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, Bad Boy 2 (8/3/2009)
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Sep/Oct 2008, Issue #17, Cantine Giacomo Conterno: Piemonte Pillar of Excellence and Tradition
(Barolo “Monfortino” Riserva Speciale - Giacomo Conterno) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, First Annual Nebbiolo and White Truffle Charity Dinner (Nov 2007)
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, The HANY Charity Dinner (Nov 2007) (11/1/2007)
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, A Double Dose of the ROPP (7/5/2006)
(G. Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, 21 Vintages of Monfortino with Roberto Conterno and the 12 Angry Men (5/16/2005)
(Robert Conterno Barolo Monfortino) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Bonus Articles, Barolo “Monfortino”- Giacomo Conterno (April 2004)
(Barolo “Monfortino” Riserva Speciale - Giacomo Conterno) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Bonus Articles, Piemonte (tasted 2002-03)
(Barolo “Monfortino”- Giacomo Conterno) Login and sign up and see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JancisRobinson.com and Vintage Tastings and View From the Cellar. (manage subscription channels) |
| Giacomo Conterno Producer website
Ken Vastola's fabulous guide to G. Conterno labels
Praelum: “Arguably the King of Barolo. No wine journey is complete without the tasting of one of the great Conternos. ‘Only premium quality can bring prestige to the Langhe.’ Giovanni Conterno taught his two sons Giacomo and Roberto after World War I to ferment and age wines in Bottis with prolonged maceration and ageing. The brothers split in 1969 and Giacomo started investing in his own vineyards since 1974. The wines of Cascina Francia, Monfortino and recently, Ceretta from Serralunga d’Alba are amongst the finest expressions of Nebbiolo that the wine world has ever seen. 4-6 years ageing usually.”NebbioloNebbiolo is a red grape indigenous to the Piedmont region of Italy in the Northwest. The grape can also be found in other parts of the world, though they are not as respected.
Nebbiolo is often considered the "king of red wines," as it is the grape of the famed wines of Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, and Roero DOCG. It is known for high tannins and acidity, but with a distinct finesse. When grown on clay, Nebbiolo can be very powerful, tannic, and require long aging periods to reach its full potential. When grown on sand, the grape exhibits a more approachable body with more elegant fruit and less tannins, but still has high aging potential.
"Nebbiolo" is named for the Italian word, "nebbia", which means "fog", in Italian and rightfully so since there is generally a lot of fog in the foothills of Piedmont during harvest.
Nebbiolo is a late-ripening variety that does best in a continental climate that boasts moderate summers and long autumns. In Piedmont, Nebbiolo is normally harvested in October.
More links:
Varietal character (Appellation America) | Nebbiolo on CellarTrackerItaly Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorPiedmont Vignaioli Piemontesi (Italian only)
On weinlagen-infoLanghe Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Roero | Union of Producers of Albese Wines (Albeisa)BaroloRegional History:
The wines of Piedmont are noted as far back as Pliny's Natural History. Due to geographic and political isolation, Piedmont was without a natural port for most of its history, which made exportation treacherous and expensive. This left the Piedmontese with little incentive to expand production. Sixteenth-century records show a mere 14% of the Bassa Langa under vine -- most of that low-lying and farmed polyculturally. In the nineteenth century the Marchesa Falletti, a frenchwoman by birth, brought eonologist Louis Oudart from Champagne to create the first dry wines in Piemonte. Along with work in experimental vineyards at Castello Grinzane conducted by Camilo Cavour -- later Conte di Cavour, leader of the Risorgimento and first Prime Minister of Italy -- this was the birth of modern wine in the Piedmont. At the heart of the region and her reputation are Alba and the Langhe Hills. This series of weathered outcroppings south of the Tanaro River is of maritime origin and composed mainly of limestone, sand and clay, known as terra bianca. In these soils -located mainly around the towns of Barolo and Barbaresco -- the ancient allobrogica, now Nebbiolo, achieves its renowned fineness and power.
map of Barolo DOCG
An interesting thread on Traditional vs. Modern Barolo producers:
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=106291 |
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