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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.6 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 22 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by osordal on 12/17/2023 & rated 95 points: Quite ruby red with orange rim. Decanted prior to tasting. Intense dark fruit with great complexity, iron and mineral infused. Latour-like structure and great acidity, length and very vibrant for a 49 year old wine. Strickingly youthful. I ll leave my remaining bottles for 5-10years (402 views) | | | Tasted by dbkitc on 3/28/2022 & rated 93 points: (at Foraged - Baltimore) Floral, tobacco, blood orange - nose evolves by the minute - cinnamon. Nose is brilliant - 99 pointer. Palate is a bit of a disappointment - a little tired. (93) (1571 views) | | | Tasted by evold89 on 9/30/2020 & rated 95 points: Servicing:
Not sure if I should aerate it from bottle or what. Big thanks to William Kelley that kindly provided me with sound advice. Although I preferably should have put this into a wine cradle days in advance. I did put it in the cradle, pulled the cork and let it breath for 1.5 hour, then I decanted it into a smaller carafe (old burgundy “duck” decanter) and left for another 2+ hours.
Tasting note:
The colour was ruby and radiant. No bricking or browning. No telltale signs of this wine’s age.
The nose showed off beautiful aromatics. The first thing that came to mind was elegance. Perfumed, gracious and beautifully lifted. It was mature, sure, but the fruit was still surprisingly vibrant, clean and precise. I had difficulties separating out the different elements as it had lots of intertwined layers. Dark and red fruits together with some earthy and mineral infused aromas. Slightest touch of spice. To me this had a certain Grand Cru Burgundy elegance to it.
On the palate, there was a really nice overall intensity and you can surely tell that this is a wine made for ageing. Also here the wine shows great intensity, but are yet so elegant. No dried fruits or anything that reminds me of this being at nearly 50 years of age. Really well balanced with a silky feel without being afraid of letting you know the power undertneath. Just a seamless experience and comparing this to the Cascina Francia this was two entirely different wines (notwithstanding the quality of the Cascina). Great length. This will surely withhold for ages, and I am not going to make a guess as to how long..but drinking beautifully now.
Score: Bottles like this are made for pleasure and I tried not to get too caught up in scoring the wine. However, at the end we discussed and analysed a bit and ended up with a score of mid/high 90’s (95-97).
This bottle gave me an unforgettable experience. Moments like this only a great wine can provide and you can’t put a score on these moments..
Scored 95.
Sidenote: The Cascina Francia 2001 did not have the same elegance to it. Also, I think proper servicing is key. As pointed out by William, ensure no sediment (which is why it is important to plan ahead) as this quickly ruins the fruit of the nebbiolo. (2440 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 11/2/2019 & rated 95 points: Nebbiolos, white truffles, Volume IV (Chicago, IL): Some were not as keen on this wine as I was, but I really did love the nose here. It was mature, sure, and shows a distinct balsamic note, but I thought that the black fruit was very clean and well-delineated. On the palate, this is even better. There's a really nice overall intensity here, and you can tell that this is a really dense wine. Certainly there are some mature flavours, but they serve to supplement the fruit here. I suppose what I'm saying is that this isn't yet fully mature, and that other bottles could afford to age some more. (3786 views) | | | Tasted by Nanda on 11/2/2019 & rated 94 points: White Truffles & Nebbiolo (Chez Nanda): Birth year wine and a real treat to drink this right before my birthday. Double decanted ~10 hours prior to serving. Big boastful nose shows smoky and tar notes paired with still youthful black fruit. The palate is complex and has terrific dense texture. Should hold just fine for another 5-10 years. (3036 views) | | | Tasted by _water.into.wine_ on 9/27/2019 & rated 92 points: Clear orange to brown. Lean. Stemmy. Green. Highly tannic. Coffee and chocolate. Shared by Ayub at Nadodi. (2387 views) | | | Tasted by dcwino on 1/12/2017 & rated 92 points: Purchased from Piedmont and shipped via air. Unfortunately it leaked so I had to pull the cork and hope for the best. Very iron driven Monfortino nose, a hint cherry, fruit cake, blood and dark spices. There is a hint of madeira/oxidative note. Medium concentration, iron, mineral, slightly dry cherry and dark spice driven palate impression, good acidity and a medium long finish. The second night, it falls apart. It is a testament to how resilient Monfortino is against oxidation. (4059 views) | | | Tasted by G_H on 3/15/2015 & rated 88 points: Color looks like coke without bubbles. Oysters in the nose, herbs and vanilla some chocolate with a nice length. (5030 views) | | | Tasted by cooberp on 3/6/2015 & rated 90 points: Barolo Dinner with Kerin O'Keefe (Maialino, NYC): Transparent ruby. A bit muted. Feminine and Barbaresco-like, offering roses, perfume, red cherries, and some VA/varnish. Very tart in the mouth. Lightweight with a smooth texture, but you can still detect the tannin from the grip. Good balance between the downright zingy acid and the maraschino-style fruit. I'd have hoped for a bit more concentration given this wine's pedigree. (5240 views) | | | Tasted by Raycheng77 on 7/4/2014 & rated 90 points: uncork at 1600 and decant at 1900
Herb, red currant, cherry, berry, and plum, with floral and mineral behind. the tannin and acidity is a little bit too much. Not great if drink alone but if pair with food, it will be a wonderful one during the dinner.
50+4+8+12+8+8 (5646 views) | | | Tasted by Paul S on 12/4/2013 & rated 92 points: 5 Decades of Aged Barolo with White Truffles (Absinthe, Boat Quay, Singapore): Good, even very good, but certainly not pretending to greatness. This was the wine with the biggest reputation on the night; yet, served blind next to a stunning 1947 Borgogno, it was unfortunately also the most disappointing. The nose here was very tertiary, much more so than even some of the older wines on show, with all sorts of earthy, meaty, soil and musk notes alongside whiffs of wilted flowers and spice, before a core of preserved black plums starts wafting out. The palate was a bit stubborn and unyielding when first poured, showing a fresh juiciness to some dried sultana and raisin flavours lying on an earthy backdrop, but with little else going for it. In fact, it seemed a little austere and thinned out when put side-by-side with the full, generous 1947. Thankfully, some time and air did the wine a lot of good, giving it space to open up and show fresher fruit expressions of sweet cherries and berries with a nice ring of purity running to them. It got more complex as well, with savoury notes of earth and beef broth fanning out into a nice finish. There was a sense of effortless grace to the wine and it had quite a bit of charm to it, but I fear it may have been better some 5-10 years ago. Provenance maybe, but at this age, chance plays a significant part in any good bottle of wine. (7905 views) | | | Tasted by dcwino on 11/9/2013 & rated 95 points: World Wine Symposium 2013 - Kevin and Kelly's excellent adventure; 11/6/2013-11/14/2013 (Villa D’este, Lake Como): Fully matured and displaying all classic Monfortino signatures. Mostly dry red fruits, also plum, strong presence of iron, rose, tar, caramel, rare steak, leather and ending balsamic note. Sweet and sour palate, iron, balsamico, rust and noticeable but nicely integrated tannins. I found the wine old school, slightly chunky and rustic. Nevertheless beautiful fully matured Monfortino. (6526 views) | | | Tasted by rnellans on 9/5/2012 & rated 95 points: Tar, leather, rose petals galore. Great structure and balance. Long on the palate. Great barolo. (5088 views) | | | Tasted by Pacalet on 6/13/2012 & rated 97 points: Wow this is quite a Barolo! Brownish rim but very fresh nose! With some meat, herbs and plum. Very good structure and with very fresh acidity to balance the whole package out, very good Monfortino and a great Barolo with a long life ahead! (5726 views) | | | Tasted by dbkitc on 11/18/2010 & rated 98 points: A quick style adjustment is necessary. Less flamboyant than the Giacosa’s, but similar level of quality. This is a very refined wine – cooked meat, mushroom and again anis on the nose mixes with a more delicate rose/floral component. Explosive palate – intensity rather than weight. My favorite of the 70’s wines. (98) (5424 views) | | | Tasted by jlemerond on 12/21/2009 & rated 95 points: Slow-o'd for 10 hours, then double decanted and served. Medium ruby with the barest hint of lightening at the rim. Wow is this young. So much fruit, tar, and earth on the nose, with a touch of menthol. In the mouth, while this is a touch more acidic than the 71, the acidity adds energy to the wine. Great mouthfeel, and a long, long finish. Great, great wine. But I think this will be even better in 5-10 years. (4551 views) | | | Tasted by NicolaiS on 6/12/2009 & rated 96 points: This was from a lot of three 74 Monfortinos I acquired last year at an auction. The two others were in mint condition (at least by the looks), but this bottle did not have the best fill level (top shoulder) and the capsule was not perfect either. I therefore did not have the highest expectations. But boy was I wrong. The wine was not suffering at all. It was dark red and to begin with the nose was very tight. But it quickly blossomed in the glass. The nose became extremely complex with menthol, smoked meat and leather. In the mouth it is great. Wow I’m impressed! It has a very bright acidity, but it gets plenty of counter balance from the fruit. It has sweet cherries and flowers, but still I think it has a very austere personality. The tannins are firm, but very well integrated and the wine is in wonderful balance. I re-tasted it both Saturday and Sunday and the last glass was stunning. More than 48 hours after opening this bottle it has not let down one bit. On the contrary it has improved. The acidity and tannins are not as dominating, which allows the fruit to play a more present role. A great, great wine. It was both heads and shoulders above any other 74 Barolos I’ve had previously and I will wait quite some time before I open my last two bottles. 96+ points (5163 views) | | | Tasted by winefool on 12/1/2007 & rated 92 points: Lieu-dit-Cru White Truffle Dinner (Primehouse): Served blind. Pale round red/crimson color. Medium dried rose and herb nose with tar and red cherry. Nice big bright rose and red cherry on the palate with good acidity, though just a bit angular. 92-93 pts. (5635 views) | | | Tasted by ski695 on 7/5/2007 & rated 91 points: Suffered in comparison to the '58 and '85. On its own woudl have been excellent. (3600 views) | | | Tasted by Gregory Dal Piaz on 3/11/2007 & rated 97 points: 19 bottles of barolo or how I drank my Monfortini; 3/10/2007-3/11/2007 (6h): opened aroun 1 pm when this showed quite some auburn coloring with a gentle rouge core - the nose is tight, leaning towards leather and herbs with a gamey edge and just a touch of maderization creeping in. In the mouth the wine is very large scaled, tight but packed with flavor, great acidity, menthol and cherry fruit, tannins really clamp down on the finish. the finish returns both savory and succulent. At aroun 8 pm this has only started to explode with intense menthol, limestone, beef jerky, smoked meats nose that is very layered, scortched earth. Wow this is great in the mouth, bright acidity, tannins have integrated exceptionally well, not sign of the maderization i noticed earlier, sour cherry fruits that really gain sweetness over the course of the evening, another 74 that shows great sweetness in spite of it's austerity. Great flavor complexity with a gamy berry streak running through to the finish which shows a bit of wet animal and fig towards the end of the evening. I wish I had a case of this wine. Certainly can go another 10-15 years. (6435 views) | | | Tasted by PSide on 12/13/2006: This was a staggeringly good wine, still in great condition, and a classic Barolo. Pale garnet, but good density of colour throughout, and the brightness to it that confirms life. Decanted due to heavy sediment the nose was initiallya big floral hit - for me roses and violets - with something tarry beneath. With about half an hour the nose grew and crystallised into a beautiful rose, truffle and road tar hit. With more time a smokiness developed aswell. The mouth was quite full still, predominantly of secondary flavours but with a good streak of cooked blackberry fruit and obvious, though not harsh or overwhelming, tannins. It was a great and well balanced mouthful that went superbly with tagliatelle porcini, but to be honest the majesty of this wine was on the nose. (4891 views) | | | Tasted by BradE on 4/13/2006: Fun in the Mountains (Beaver Creek): A bit of funk that blew off quickly. Great nose, very good on the palate. Great fun along side the 1990 Monfortino. (6011 views) |
| 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 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 Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Barolos of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s (Dec 2004)
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Kapon
Vintage Tastings, Dom Perignon, 12 Angry Men, Auction Lunch and a Holiday Party (12/13/2004)
(G. Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva) 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” Riserva Speciale- Giacomo Conterno) Login and sign up and see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of View From the Cellar and Vintage Tastings and Vinous. (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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