Vinous Monfortino Dinner with Roberto Conterno; 2/1/2024-2/2/2024 (Legacy Records, NYC): 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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Annual Pilgrimage to Piedmont - 2023 Edition; 10/20/2023-10/22/2023 (Piedmont, Italy): Decanted for a good 30 minutes and served blind. The wine has a magnificent nose and at this stage the nose is far superior to the palate as one might expect. Bright, expressive, soft elegant dark fruit, lightest dark feel almost a smoky/tar touch that just adds a solid dimension. The wine it self is still young but very much welcoming and the sort of vintage 2014 is delivers a more early approachable wine than the buttoned down bigger siblings of it. Beautiful 95 now and with a lot of more potential to follow.
On account of nose beating palate and the propensity of our friend who chose this for Monfortino we went with young Monfortino off vintage, like 2008 or 2012 ( albeit later we found out there was none made in 2012).
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Accomasso Tasting plus some great Barolo Pirates (Freiheit Vinothek, Ulm, Germany): *** all wines tasted blind *** Glass: Zwiesel 1872 Moment Pinot Clean, deep ruby color. Clean, classic Barolo nose, floral, herbaceous, very deep and still closed and shut. Wow, beautiful velvet texture and structure! Juicy, dense and deep, fine red fruit mixed with fresh herbs. Here it is all about balance and elegance. Very long and fine finish. Needs years to unfold. Thank you, Marcel, for this great Pirate! 94-95++
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Served blind in a Barolo flight as the last wine. Appearance was stunning, a dark ruby color with no garnet tinges, almost as indicating the potential longevity of the wine. Brilliant and clear, just beautiful lively color. Nose was initially shut after opening. With time the bouquet started to emerge with classic Nebbiolo notes: dried flowers, roses and violets, underbrush, truffle, pipe tobacco, goudron, and pure red and black fruit, macerated dark cherries, black raspberries and amarena cherries. A wide spectrum that kept changing constantly in the glass. Just mind blowing. The palate was typical Serralunga: powerful, austere and structured. Despite its broad shoulders, the wine retained a certain elegance and finesse accentuated by an incredible freshness. Flavours of blood orange and dark spices carried the sip towards infinity. Super balanced, harmonious wine. Already open for business given the difficult vintage. Probably more approachable than the 13 or 10. Still it has the structure and the acidity to evolve for decades, as every other vintage of this wine. Monumental, legendary. The pinnacle of Barolo.
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Just a quick note to help others. This is a great wine. Will be even better in years, but can be approached now. I noted that the aromatics really started to hit stride after 3.5 hours sitting in a decanter. Please plan on that if you will open one soon.
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SLDS New Year (Quay, Sydney): Fresh and very lifted - red fruit, cherry, licorice, earth and pepper with some orange peel as well. Punchy on the nose and palate, excellent structure to go along with the vibrant, pure fruit. Superstar wine at any stage of its life.
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Ultimately charming aromas with fabulous freshness and with this beautiful perfumed overtones that make you smile all the way through. Great fruit of youthful cherries, wild strawberries, raspberries, roses, lightly dried mushrooms, wet leather belt, light tar and deeper salts.
Full-bodied and extremely delicate wine that may come a little thin in, but the wine gears up and turns into full growth with fabulous mouthfeel of beautiful cherry fruit, wild strawberries, dense mineral touch and gentle truffles on a long and complex finish with tannins that bite loving along with ultimate acidity. Superb wine.
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The nose was perfumed and very deep and cool in tone, with perfectly sweet red cherry fruit and a hint of high-pitched blood orange fruit, fresh roses, cool herbs such as sage and mint, and savory elements of cured meats and a hint of smoke. The aromatics showed off both the perfectly sweet, candy-like red fruit and roses as well as a host of cool, herbal and savory elements. On the palate, the wine immediately impresses for its combination of textural power and elegance. There's no sense of a beginning or end to the palate, and there is no perception at all of tannin. At this stage, the palate is less immediately expressive than the nose, but the same theme is at play, with perfectly sweet red fruit (sort of along the same lines as I found the '02 earlier this year) along with a number of savory elements that create a very intriguing flavor profile. But it's really all about the textural elements, the richness and yet the elegance, and the high energy of the wine driven by the high acidity level. The '14 is not as powerful as the '10, but it's a touch more finessed at this early age.
Unsurprisingly, the '14 Monfortino is a stunning wine, with expressive, sweet and savory aromatics, and incredible textural finesse. For me, at this stage I think the 2010 is a slightly better wine for my palate, showing a bit more power and structure, although I know Roberto has said he thinks the '14 will be the best of the recent vintages. Either way, it'll be fun to watch these wines over time.
I found tasting the '14 Monfortino recently after the '16 Francia also gives some insight into (maybe) why there isn't a Monfortino in '16. While the '16 Francia is a very good wine, it lacks the textural elegance of the recent vintages of Monfortino, coming across as a bit more of an old school Barolo full of power and dark fruit but showing a lot of tannin that will take a while to integrate.
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Fatprøve. Monfortino 2014. Fy faen! Tårene presser seg på omtrent før jeg får stukket nesa ned i glasset. Dette er så utrolig vakkert. Renere enn dette blir det ikke. En oppvisning i kunsten av å kombinere kraft og eleganse. Saftig frukt med en vektløs intensitet man finner i de beste Burgundere. Perfekt friskhet. Helt sømløs kurve med de fineste tanniner. Laserpresisjon. Sitter en liten evighet. Min første. 97p
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2018 Visit to Giacomo Conterno with Roberto Conterno (Monforte d'Alba): Roberto introduced the Monfortino by saying that "colder conditions are always in favour of the Barolo. We picked late between 25-27 October but by then had had two months of beautiful weather". Roberto pointed out his three Botti of his 2014 Riserva. A stunning bouquet, complex and layered, showing cassis, cherries, gentle spices, floral notes, earth, smokey meats and dry brushwood. Similarly multi-layered and detailed on palate with many levels of fruit, floral, spice and savoury nuances. Seamless and precise with lovely acidity. Not massive scale and structure but beautifully balanced and proportioned. Very long, I was still tasting the wine as I walked out of the winery. As good as any wine I tasted on the trip. A great wine in the making.
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Hugely perfumed. A profound nose. Lung filling. Deep cherry, roses, balsam on the nose. Silence ensued on smelling this wine, and in our group of talkers, that is a rare moment. This is archetypal Barolo. Structured, yet detailed, with terrific acidic balance, sap, power and precision. Seamless. Incredibly long, with from nebbiolo tannins, but with more finesse than the '13s tannins. Expansive, yet not heavy. A regal, profound wine.
Tasted from barrel alongside the 13. To me it is sort of the opposite of the 13 at this stage - the nose is more closed on the 14 but the 14 is so shockingly easy to drink. Roberto says this is technically more tannic but it doesnt drink like it. Anyway, it is wonderful.
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Tasted at the Cantina with Roberto Conterno. Sample from the Botti. Superb juice. Big cherry fruits with lip smacking acidity. The purity and minerality here are just fantastic. A blockbuster in the making.
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2/2/2024 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Vinous Monfortino Dinner with Roberto Conterno; 2/1/2024-2/2/2024 (Legacy Records, NYC): 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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10/20/2023 - Papies wrote: 95 Points
Annual Pilgrimage to Piedmont - 2023 Edition; 10/20/2023-10/22/2023 (Piedmont, Italy): Decanted for a good 30 minutes and served blind.
The wine has a magnificent nose and at this stage the nose is far superior to the palate as one might expect. Bright, expressive, soft elegant dark fruit, lightest dark feel almost a smoky/tar touch that just adds a solid dimension. The wine it self is still young but very much welcoming and the sort of vintage 2014 is delivers a more early approachable wine than the buttoned down bigger siblings of it. Beautiful 95 now and with a lot of more potential to follow.
On account of nose beating palate and the propensity of our friend who chose this for Monfortino we went with young Monfortino off vintage, like 2008 or 2012 ( albeit later we found out there was none made in 2012).
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1/5/2022 - Decarlor wrote: 100 Points
The best 2014 Barolo. Great job in a very uneven year.
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7/30/2021 - NoTrollingerPlease Likes this wine: 95 Points
Accomasso Tasting plus some great Barolo Pirates (Freiheit Vinothek, Ulm, Germany): *** all wines tasted blind ***
Glass: Zwiesel 1872 Moment Pinot
Clean, deep ruby color. Clean, classic Barolo nose, floral, herbaceous, very deep and still closed and shut.
Wow, beautiful velvet texture and structure! Juicy, dense and deep, fine red fruit mixed with fresh herbs. Here it is all about balance and elegance. Very long and fine finish. Needs years to unfold. Thank you, Marcel, for this great Pirate! 94-95++
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5/24/2021 - EDO89 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Served blind in a Barolo flight as the last wine. Appearance was stunning, a dark ruby color with no garnet tinges, almost as indicating the potential longevity of the wine. Brilliant and clear, just beautiful lively color. Nose was initially shut after opening. With time the bouquet started to emerge with classic Nebbiolo notes: dried flowers, roses and violets, underbrush, truffle, pipe tobacco, goudron, and pure red and black fruit, macerated dark cherries, black raspberries and amarena cherries. A wide spectrum that kept changing constantly in the glass. Just mind blowing.
The palate was typical Serralunga: powerful, austere and structured. Despite its broad shoulders, the wine retained a certain elegance and finesse accentuated by an incredible freshness. Flavours of blood orange and dark spices carried the sip towards infinity.
Super balanced, harmonious wine. Already open for business given the difficult vintage. Probably more approachable than the 13 or 10. Still it has the structure and the acidity to evolve for decades, as every other vintage of this wine. Monumental, legendary. The pinnacle of Barolo.
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5/9/2021 - Bobby Burgundy wrote: 97 Points
Needs a lot more time as we know but going to be super wine in 20 years
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2/27/2021 - InTheMunee Likes this wine: 98 Points
Just a quick note to help others. This is a great wine. Will be even better in years, but can be approached now. I noted that the aromatics really started to hit stride after 3.5 hours sitting in a decanter. Please plan on that if you will open one soon.
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1/8/2021 - CamWheeler wrote: 98 Points
SLDS New Year (Quay, Sydney): Fresh and very lifted - red fruit, cherry, licorice, earth and pepper with some orange peel as well. Punchy on the nose and palate, excellent structure to go along with the vibrant, pure fruit. Superstar wine at any stage of its life.
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11/5/2020 - Andre Brattland wrote: 97 Points
Ultimately charming aromas with fabulous freshness and with this beautiful perfumed overtones that make you smile all the way through. Great fruit of youthful cherries, wild strawberries, raspberries, roses, lightly dried mushrooms, wet leather belt, light tar and deeper salts.
Full-bodied and extremely delicate wine that may come a little thin in, but the wine gears up and turns into full growth with fabulous mouthfeel of beautiful cherry fruit, wild strawberries, dense mineral touch and gentle truffles on a long and complex finish with tannins that bite loving along with ultimate acidity. Superb wine.
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10/31/2020 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 98 Points
The nose was perfumed and very deep and cool in tone, with perfectly sweet red cherry fruit and a hint of high-pitched blood orange fruit, fresh roses, cool herbs such as sage and mint, and savory elements of cured meats and a hint of smoke. The aromatics showed off both the perfectly sweet, candy-like red fruit and roses as well as a host of cool, herbal and savory elements. On the palate, the wine immediately impresses for its combination of textural power and elegance. There's no sense of a beginning or end to the palate, and there is no perception at all of tannin. At this stage, the palate is less immediately expressive than the nose, but the same theme is at play, with perfectly sweet red fruit (sort of along the same lines as I found the '02 earlier this year) along with a number of savory elements that create a very intriguing flavor profile. But it's really all about the textural elements, the richness and yet the elegance, and the high energy of the wine driven by the high acidity level. The '14 is not as powerful as the '10, but it's a touch more finessed at this early age.
Unsurprisingly, the '14 Monfortino is a stunning wine, with expressive, sweet and savory aromatics, and incredible textural finesse. For me, at this stage I think the 2010 is a slightly better wine for my palate, showing a bit more power and structure, although I know Roberto has said he thinks the '14 will be the best of the recent vintages. Either way, it'll be fun to watch these wines over time.
I found tasting the '14 Monfortino recently after the '16 Francia also gives some insight into (maybe) why there isn't a Monfortino in '16. While the '16 Francia is a very good wine, it lacks the textural elegance of the recent vintages of Monfortino, coming across as a bit more of an old school Barolo full of power and dark fruit but showing a lot of tannin that will take a while to integrate.
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1/31/2020 - kenv Likes this wine: 96 Points
Gala Dinner at La Festa del Barolo 2020 (The Pool Restaurant, NYC): [Magnum brought by Roberto Conterno.] Dark sweet black fruit and spice nose. Rich and tight, but great potential. 96-?
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4/23/2019 - hajoha wrote: 97 Points
Fatprøve.
Monfortino 2014.
Fy faen!
Tårene presser seg på omtrent før jeg får stukket nesa ned i glasset.
Dette er så utrolig vakkert.
Renere enn dette blir det ikke.
En oppvisning i kunsten av å kombinere kraft og eleganse.
Saftig frukt med en vektløs intensitet man finner i de beste Burgundere.
Perfekt friskhet.
Helt sømløs kurve med de fineste tanniner.
Laserpresisjon.
Sitter en liten evighet.
Min første.
97p
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10/8/2018 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:
2018 Visit to Giacomo Conterno with Roberto Conterno (Monforte d'Alba): Roberto introduced the Monfortino by saying that "colder conditions are always in favour of the Barolo. We picked late between 25-27 October but by then had had two months of beautiful weather". Roberto pointed out his three Botti of his 2014 Riserva. A stunning bouquet, complex and layered, showing cassis, cherries, gentle spices, floral notes, earth, smokey meats and dry brushwood. Similarly multi-layered and detailed on palate with many levels of fruit, floral, spice and savoury nuances. Seamless and precise with lovely acidity. Not massive scale and structure but beautifully balanced and proportioned. Very long, I was still tasting the wine as I walked out of the winery. As good as any wine I tasted on the trip. A great wine in the making.
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5/7/2018 - cct wrote: 98 Points
With Roberto and Stephanie
From barrel
Hugely perfumed. A profound nose. Lung filling. Deep cherry, roses, balsam on the nose. Silence ensued on smelling this wine, and in our group of talkers, that is a rare moment. This is archetypal Barolo. Structured, yet detailed, with terrific acidic balance, sap, power and precision. Seamless. Incredibly long, with from nebbiolo tannins, but with more finesse than the '13s tannins. Expansive, yet not heavy. A regal, profound wine.
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11/21/2017 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine:
Tasted from barrel alongside the 13. To me it is sort of the opposite of the 13 at this stage - the nose is more closed on the 14 but the 14 is so shockingly easy to drink. Roberto says this is technically more tannic but it doesnt drink like it. Anyway, it is wonderful.
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11/13/2017 - JOsgood wrote: 98 Points
Tasted at the Cantina with Roberto Conterno. Sample from the Botti. Superb juice. Big cherry fruits with lip smacking acidity. The purity and minerality here are just fantastic. A blockbuster in the making.
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