Vinous Monfortino Dinner with Roberto Conterno

Vinous hosted a vertical of Monfortino with Roberto Conterno attending. The wines were all sourced from a collector in Italy who purchased the wines from the winery, largely or entirely I believe on release, so provenance was as good as it gets.

This was the most consistent dinner involving older wines I have ever been to, a testament to the winery and the provenance of the bottles. There were some older bottles that seemed off or didn't show well, but fewer than at most of these events, and for the wines that were sound, the consistency of quality is remarkable. That all said, I still found myself preferring the younger wines. The quality at Conterno seems to skyrocket around the 2002-2004 vintages, with the '02 one of my favorite wines, but maybe the '04 being the first vintage where the wine resembles current release.

Summary of some takeaways for me:

1. Almost all the wines had an incredible sense of freshness / vibrancy, I think partly due to the very high acidity level. My perception at least was that the acidity level of these wines is higher than the average top-tier Barolo, especially in warm vintages like 2015 where I've found a lack of acidity and freshness in some other producers' wines.

2. In most vintages, I find the wines to show a very attractive blend of savory characteristics and fruit. Iron or blood, leather, roasted or raw meats, etc. are notes I found in a number of wines, even more recent vintages like 2010. The fruit profile of Monfortino to me is typically pure red cherry fruit, with some exceptions (i.e., 2015 where the fruit tones are darker, and some of the older vintages like '78 and '71 where I also found darker fruit).

3. While I suppose it's common knowledge, Conterno really does outperform in the tougher vintages. The 2002 was one of the highlights of the evening in my opinion, having so much fruit that it's hard to believe. The 1979 was spectacular, and I'd argue better than the other wines from that period from more heralded vintages like 1982 or 1985 (at least these bottles). The 2014, while one of the tighter wines today in my opinion, has such finessed tannins and sweetness to the fruit. And the '15 is crazy good for that year, which at least at other wineries, produced wines that are often good but lack a bit of vibrancy in my opinion.

4. My personal opinion is that the best wines of the night were recent vintages. Starting with the 2002, every subsequent vintage served ('02, '04, '08, '10, '13-'15) is a near-100 point wine to me. The 2004 didn't show as open tonight as the last bottle I had in 2020, but is full of potential and is the first Monfortino to feel as polished (i.e., in tannin quality and purity of fruit) as the most recent vintages. The 2010 to me is a perfect wine and so expressive, as it has been each time I've tasted it. The 2008 is an exotic, highly perfumed version of Monfortino unlike any other. The 2013 is austere and highly tannic, an old school wine in a way, but so promising; and as I said above, I found the '14 pretty closed off, but with a combination of power, sweetness, and finesse that's hard to believe.

• 2015 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 97 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/1/2024)

  The '15 is a Monfortino of pure pleasure, with fruit to burn. I found the expression here different than the other recent vintages, darker and more fruit driven, but it's so beautiful. It also would not be a shame to open a bottle now. I found the '15 Monfortino more open than the '15 Cerretta/Arione/Francia (which I tasted the prior night), interestingly enough, continuing my experience that in vintages where both wines are made, the Monfortino is much more interesting.
  
  The aromatics were vibrant and wide open, with dark red to black fruit, sweet spices, red floral tones, orange peel, and a bit of cedar / wood notes, a bit of an outlier, but very well balanced. On the palate, the wine is medium to full in body, with so much dense, very ripe '15 fruit, but balanced with high acidity that most wines lack in 2015. Compared to the other Conterno '15s, the Monfortino is more open, has more vibrancy / acidity, and has more finessed tannins in my opinion.

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• 2013 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 97 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  Surprisingly to me, the '13 was fairly open aromatically, but on the palate, it is an austere wine in need of time. The '13 is a stereotypical Monfortino, showing dark red cherry fruit, red roses, leather, iron, and a touch of orange peel. It's incredible on its own, but doesn't stand out in the way that some other surrounding vintages do. On the palate, the wine feels more tannic than any of the surrounding vintages, even if apparently that is not technically the case on paper. Pure red fruit, orange peel, leather, and fresh roses flow across the palate, with tons of tannin, and although the tannins are high enough quality that it's drinkable right now, clearly the best is yet to come.

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• 2014 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 98 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  I found the '14 to be quite closed off, similar to when it was released in 2020, but the potential is obvious. With some air, the aromatics showed impossibly sweet red berry fruit, fresh red florals, and blood orange. On the palate, the wine is medium to full in body but so silky, with the best tannin quality of any of the wines in the lineup, virtually imperceptible. The sweetness and purity of the fruit is remarkable. This is one I am rating more on potential than today's enjoyment, but I think the components are clear.

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• 2002 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 98 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  This was an incredible bottle of the '02 and a miraculous wine given the vintage. I found this bottle to be on the more fruit-forward end of the bottles of '02 I have had. I found dark red cherry fruit, iron, red floral tones, and orange peel, with a beautiful sweetness to the fruit and floral tones, and the orange peel note adding freshness and a bit of exoticism to the aromatics. On the palate, the '02 was maybe the most dense wine of the evening in my opinion. It was a bit more savory to me on the palate than the nose, with dark red fruit, orange peel, smoke, and meat notes, with very high acidity and incredible sweetness. There is a lot of tannin here, but it appears to be on its way to integrating well, and the wine is so dense as to cover up the tannins. The tannin profile is a bit more rustic here than the recent vintages, but with time it will not matter.

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• 2010 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 100 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  Tasted again in this vertical after having a full bottle a few weeks ago, the ‘10 showed similarly. In my opinion, it was the best wine in the tasting and a perfect Barolo. Every time I have tasted this wine, it has been very expressive, and it is no crime to open a bottle now. I found pure red cherry fruit, fresh red floral tones, iron, leather, and roasted meats, a perfect combination in my view of dense fruit and savory characteristics. On the palate, it is full bodied, dense but very fresh with high acidity, and again, you get a perfect combination of sweet red fruit and floral notes and the savory iron, leather, and meat. Compared to the other recent vintages (2008, 2013-2015), I found the 2010 to have more savory complexity. It's less fruit forward, but doesn't lack fruit.

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• 2004 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 98 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  Tasting the '04 in a flight alongside the 1995, 1997, and 2000, it was clear that there was some evolution in the winery from 1995-2004. The 2004 was more elegant, especially in the tannins, and more pure than the preceding three wines. There's also simply a lot more fruit here despite not that big of a difference in age. I found this closed off, much more so than the last bottle I tasted, but showed beautiful pure red fruit, red roses, iron, and a hint of citrus peel. On the palate, it was medium to full in body with dark red, smoky fruit, iron, and fresh roses, with fantastic sweetness, and lots of tannin, but very fine grained. I was surprised by how reticent this wine was compared to the bottle I had in 2020, but the potential is high, and this bottle seems to mark a turning point in the winery's quality (not that the older bottles aren't great, but starting with the '04, the wines seem more polished).

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• 2008 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 99 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  I was blown away by how the '08 showed. This bottle was more expressive than the one I tasted back in November, and I have rated it higher.
  
  The ‘08 was so different than the other Monfortino served, with intense aromatics and exotic fruit notes. I found a core of pure red cherry fruit and fresh red roses, similar to the other young wines, but with blood orange and other tropical fruits as an extra layer of complexity and vibrancy, along with some earthy notes of meat and truffle. On the palate, the '08 is one of the more refined vintages, with incredible sweetness of fruit, vibrant acidity, and almost no noticeable tannin. It's a very primary and exotic profile with red berry fruit, citrus peel, red florals, sweet spice, and raw meats, one of the more fruit-forward wines of the night, but still with a bit of savory complexity adding intrigue.

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• 1978 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Speciale 97 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  The '78 is a wine I have dreamed of tasting, and it did not disappoint, although even so I found myself preferring the more recent vintages. This is such a youthful, vibrant wine that will seemingly be immortal with proper storage. On the nose, I found dark red cherry fruit, iron / blood, roast meats, balsamic spices, and a hint of VA. On the palate, the wine is so youthful, full in body with the tannins having largely integrated by now, creating a perfect mouthfeel. Dark red fruit, leather, balsamic, sweet spices, and iron are among the many notes in this complex wine. As with most of the wines, there is a perfect blend of fruit and savory characteristics and the wine is very vibrant with high acidity.

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• 2000 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 96 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  The 2000 seems like it is just starting to enter its drinking window, but the best is likely yet to come. While it shows the ripeness of the 2000 vintage, it feels to me very much like an older school Monfortino, with more in common with older vintages than the vintages since 2004. On the nose, I found pure red cherry fruit, iron, red florals, dried herbs, and sweet spices, with the aromatics initially a bit reserved but opening up more with air. On the palate, I found an expression that struck me as a younger version of some of the older wines in the tasting like the '71. I found smoky red fruit, iron, leather, sweet spices, and dried red florals, a beautiful mix of sweet red fruit and savory complexity. The tannins have largely resolved, making it quite drinkable today, but another 5-10 years may be helpful for the wine to further open up.

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• 1979 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Speciale 95 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  The '79 was one of the surprises of the tasting, outperforming the bottles from the '80s in my opinion. It had that intoxicating sweet fruit that I crave in old Nebbiolo, and still showed quite primary, in a good way. I found sweet red fruit, fresh red roses, menthol, and baking spices. The fruit quality is outstanding. On the palate, the wine is medium in body with fully integrated tannins, one of the silkiest wines of the evening. Sweet red fruit, blood, red roses, leather, and raw meats flowed across the palate, with vibrant acidity. This is so fresh while also being expressive and ready to drink, and again as with the best wines of the evening, there's a perfect combination of sweet fruit and savory notes.

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• 1995 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 95 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  The '95 came across to me as an old-school, rustic wine, which makes sense given the vintage, but I found it very enjoyable. It is time to drink the '95 in my opinion, as it is very expressive and leaning a bit towards the savory side rather than primary fruit. On the nose, I found leather, iron, roast meats, and dark red fruit, very much leaning into the leather and iron notes. On the palate, the wine is medium plus in body with high acidity, and dark red to black fruit, leather, iron, raw meat, and spices. It's beautiful to me in an old school, rustic way. The tannins clearly reflect a different era at the winery, as they are a bit grainy in mouthfeel, and strike me as unlikely to fully resolve while the fruit remains.

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• 1997 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  The '97 was a pleasurable wine that is good to drink today, although I didn't find it that complex, at least in this bottle. I found ripe red fruit, dried red florals, smoke, and spices, and on the palate, it was silky with largely integrated tannins, one of the more texturally approachable wines of the tasting.

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• 1982 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  The '82 Monfortino was very pretty, although it seemed (like the bottle of '85) to be a wine that maybe would have been even better 5-10 years ago. It leaned into the savory side, with iron, savory spices, dried red fruit, raw meat, and dried red floral tones. On the palate, I found very acidic red fruit, leather, spices, and raw meats. It remains pretty tannic relative to the amount of fruit that remains. As I find sometimes with old Nebbiolo that are fading, I get a sense that there is too much acidity relative to the amount of fruit left for the wine to be perfectly balanced.

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• 1967 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Speciale 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  I was very impressed by the '67 Monfortino, a vintage I haven't heard much about. The wine showed beautiful aromatics of sweet, earthy red berry fruit, red florals, smoke, and roast meats, with a surprisingly fresh core of fruit. On the palate, it is fully resolved with beautiful inner sweetness and high acidity. A super enjoyable glass of wine.

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• 1985 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  According to Antonio, he found the '85s to be more advanced than expected, but my table got what he thought was the better bottle. I have never tasted the wine before to compare, but it seemed solid to me while definitely being on the more mature side of the wines served. It's possible that's simply the '85 vintage speaking.
  
  Either way, the wine was enjoyable and ready to go, with red fruit, sweet spices, and earth. On the palate, I found very sweet red fruit, dried floral tones, lots of earth, and a bit of spices.
  
  Roberto commented that when Nebbiolo oxidizes, the sweetness comes out rather than bitterness. To me, this wine showed that, as the fruit was beautifully sweet.

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• 1964 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Speciale 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  The '64 was nice, although doesn't rank among the better wines I have tasted from this vintage (i.e., the spectacular Bartolo '64 from last year's Rare Wine dinner). I found menthol, light red, dried fruits, blood, earth, and minerality on the nose. On the palate, it is fully resolved but still shows good intensity and a pleasant sweetness.

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• 1970 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Speciale

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  (2/2/2024)

  The '70 was brownish in the glass, which was particularly apparent when comparing it to the '71 later, which was still a vibrant red. It seemed quite advanced and Madeira-like at first, but did freshen up a bit with air. I found iron, porcini / earth, dried red fruits and floral tones, and sweet spices / a madeira like sweetness to the wine. On the palate, it was a bit fresher in my opinion than the aromatics, with smoky red fruit, earth, and dried red florals, with largely integrated tannins. Likely not a perfect bottle.

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