These wines are so good; they blow every other Barbera out of the water except for maybe the B Mascarello; dark red fruits, hints of iron, orange peel, violet. Powerful and full throttle, yet super fresh acidity given the varietal. Really excellent balance and just fun to drink. Bottle disappeared before I knew it. Need to buy this stuff more often
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This is really nice! Very mineral aromas initially, but with air increasingly spicy: anice and slightly minty. The palate is very well balanced with a deep core of cherry fruit, again very mineral driven, and a perfect balance between fruit and dry extract. Elegant yet with quite a bit of punch! No rusticity:) Updated note: even better on day two!
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As one taster noted - Conterno tastes like Conterno. Barbera or Barolo. And so is the case here. Although this Barbera is certainly more open and expressive then the Barolo!
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Once again lovely stuff; though definitely young and with plenty of upside; ripe dark berry fruits, anise, mint, floral, and a bit of minerality; dense and brooding, it grudgingly shows its potential. Needs 5-8 years to really come into its own.
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At first somewhat disjointed, with a bitter acidity seemingly segregated from the rustic blue and fruit notes. With several hours of air, though, the components integrated quite nicely. A formidable Barbera, and a great complement to my poached egg and polenta main course.
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Opened for a party. Delicious, but I won't rate it because it was opened deep into the festivities when my palate was shot. We all enjoyed it thoroughly, though and put it down quickly.
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Opened for 2 hours. Color is deep red/purple. On the nose: Sour cherry, plum, dark chocolate and a bit of violets. On the palate: Cherry, blueberry, plum, and something like a hint of green olive. Very sensuous mouthfeel. This is really good. Alcohol level is very high which is a drawback but it is well balanced.
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Color: dark purple Nose: soulful barbera. Plum and sour cherry; durone di Vignola as well? Red and black berries. Wood is actually tame imo. I get hints of baking spices. There is something green too - alpine herbs Palate: acidity is high and zero tannins. Vinous full body. It has a bloody trace with the ripe fruit confirming the nose with plums and sour cherries Finish: long
Really bright but also really deep, can take imo 5 more years in bottle or more. Had it with steak, great stuff
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Decanted 3 hours earlier. Purple center. Herbs, flowers, and blackberry aromas. Medium weight. Penetrating, incredibly bright acidity at its core keeps this refreshing and brisk. No lack of latently sweet black fruit, though, accompanied by a large ration of soil. As usual, rare density and texture for Barbera. In its early days.
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A bit of backstory on this wine....Opened this one year to the day we tasted with Roberto Conterno. Hands down our best tasting in Piemonte. During the tasting he had us try his new stems he designed with @schottzwiesel (Sensory). His Barolo’s were out of this world but this Barbera wasn’t far behind. Everything we tasted was out of Botti. Just like last year’s tasting this is a very dense and rich wine and probably one of the best Barbera’s I have had. Looking forward to seeing how these wines develop in the coming years.
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Pours a medium ruby color. Very dense and a bit tightly knit nose. Dark cherry, plum, blueberries, fresh herbs, licorice and tar. Some disturbing notes of blueberry yogurt and toasty oak and the fruits has a slight cooked feel to it.
Full bodied on the palate with high acidity and firm tannins. Generous amounts of very ripe black fruit, licorice and fresh herbs. The 15.5% abv is a problem since it makes the wine feels very warm and out of balance. Impeccable intensity and length but I can't help to find this being a little over the top ripe and warm.
A major disappointment even if I understand that this wine is marked by the dry and warm vintage. Will probably get better with some age to it but there are lots of more interesting expressions of Barbera out there for half the price or less than this.
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Darker and more brooding than the Ceretta, with tar, plum and dark cherry fruits a little bit of merde. On the palate, full scaled, brooding, dark fruited and meatier with some fruit cake. It lacks the lift and freshness of the Ceretta, but is fuller and richer. Full scaled and impressive but not my favored style. If you enjoy full bodied Barbera, you will really enjoy it.
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Fatprøve. Blodfersk juice. Seriøs dybde for en Barbera. En helt rå frukt som takler sine vanvittige 16% på strak arm. Er så fersk at nesten vanskelig å smake nå. 91p(?)
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Piedmont; 2/11/2019-2/15/2019 (Alba, Italy): Botti sample. To be bottled in June. Absolutely stunning barbera, with incredible brightness and juiciness. Very dense and concentrated, but with a beautiful lightness and elegance that helps cut through all the dense material here. There's a lovely splash of minerality on the back end, with tannins that are still very prominent. Possibly one of the most compelling barberas I've tasted.
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2018 Visit to Giacomo Conterno with Roberto Conterno (Monforte d'Alba): Another lovely bouquet, but with gravelly minerals, rather than chalk. Also some dark fruit with the red fruit and hints of dark florals. Very different on palate than the Cerretta. Broader with wild berry and smoky game meat elements. More black fruited with blackberries, cherries and plums and even a suggestion of blue fruit. "More acidity?", I asked. "No", said Roberto, "not when you look at the numbers but you get that impression because the Francia does not have the apparent fruit sweetness of the Cerretta". "Very different", said Thierry, "a more classical Barbera". "Two valid expressions of Barbera", agreed Roberto. Again, a top quality Barbera.
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Tasting with Roberto Conterno (Giocomo Conterno Winery, Monforte): (Barrel Sample) Here I found a display of intense dark red berry fruit offset by minerals, and sweet haunting florals. On the palate, it was so juicy and primary, as masses of red fruits and sweet spice permeated the senses. It finished on freshness, even with its drink-me-now personality. I wonder if collectors of this wine will be able to keep their hands off long enough to watch the 2017 mature. Simply gorgeous. (93-95 points)
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3/9/2024 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
These wines are so good; they blow every other Barbera out of the water except for maybe the B Mascarello; dark red fruits, hints of iron, orange peel, violet. Powerful and full throttle, yet super fresh acidity given the varietal. Really excellent balance and just fun to drink. Bottle disappeared before I knew it. Need to buy this stuff more often
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8/11/2023 - MayValley wrote: 93 Points
This is really nice!
Very mineral aromas initially, but with air increasingly spicy: anice and slightly minty. The palate is very well balanced with a deep core of cherry fruit, again very mineral driven, and a perfect balance between fruit and dry extract. Elegant yet with quite a bit of punch! No rusticity:)
Updated note: even better on day two!
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2/13/2023 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
As one taster noted - Conterno tastes like Conterno. Barbera or Barolo. And so is the case here. Although this Barbera is certainly more open and expressive then the Barolo!
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12/3/2022 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
Once again lovely stuff; though definitely young and with plenty of upside; ripe dark berry fruits, anise, mint, floral, and a bit of minerality; dense and brooding, it grudgingly shows its potential. Needs 5-8 years to really come into its own.
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10/30/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
So big and massive and powerful and of course delicious too. Perfectly ready right now but no reason to rush.
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7/27/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
We didn't need to drink it, but we did drink it.
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3/29/2022 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 92 Points
At first somewhat disjointed, with a bitter acidity seemingly segregated from the rustic blue and fruit notes. With several hours of air, though, the components integrated quite nicely. A formidable Barbera, and a great complement to my poached egg and polenta main course.
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1/2/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Beasty and really powerful.
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12/31/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
A monster of a wine but in a delicious way.
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11/20/2021 - the godfather wrote:
As good as it gets. Can’t imagine a better barbera
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5/16/2021 - misterstarre Likes this wine:
Opened for a party. Delicious, but I won't rate it because it was opened deep into the festivities when my palate was shot. We all enjoyed it thoroughly, though and put it down quickly.
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4/29/2021 - willthethrill Likes this wine: 92 Points
Flows like water...
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1/3/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
So lush noted Sabina. A bit tighter than I expected. So I think lay down for at least another year.
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12/9/2020 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened for 2 hours. Color is deep red/purple. On the nose: Sour cherry, plum, dark chocolate and a bit of violets. On the palate: Cherry, blueberry, plum, and something like a hint of green olive. Very sensuous mouthfeel. This is really good. Alcohol level is very high which is a drawback but it is well balanced.
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8/25/2020 - stet Likes this wine: 91 Points
Color: dark purple
Nose: soulful barbera. Plum and sour cherry; durone di Vignola as well? Red and black berries. Wood is actually tame imo. I get hints of baking spices. There is something green too - alpine herbs
Palate: acidity is high and zero tannins. Vinous full body. It has a bloody trace with the ripe fruit confirming the nose with plums and sour cherries
Finish: long
Really bright but also really deep, can take imo 5 more years in bottle or more. Had it with steak, great stuff
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7/4/2020 - mbidder954 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Black and purple fruits. Brisk acidity. Delicious, even if a bit simple. Probably should have held off a few years.
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6/16/2020 - drwine2001 wrote:
Decanted 3 hours earlier. Purple center. Herbs, flowers, and blackberry aromas. Medium weight. Penetrating, incredibly bright acidity at its core keeps this refreshing and brisk. No lack of latently sweet black fruit, though, accompanied by a large ration of soil. As usual, rare density and texture for Barbera. In its early days.
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6/7/2020 - gsiokis Likes this wine: 93 Points
A bit of backstory on this wine....Opened this one year to the day we tasted with Roberto Conterno. Hands down our best tasting in Piemonte. During the tasting he had us try his new stems he designed with @schottzwiesel (Sensory). His Barolo’s were out of this world but this Barbera wasn’t far behind. Everything we tasted was out of Botti. Just like last year’s tasting this is a very dense and rich wine and probably one of the best Barbera’s I have had. Looking forward to seeing how these wines develop in the coming years.
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1/25/2020 - karl.1480 wrote: 88 Points
Pours a medium ruby color.
Very dense and a bit tightly knit nose. Dark cherry, plum, blueberries, fresh herbs, licorice and tar. Some disturbing notes of blueberry yogurt and toasty oak and the fruits has a slight cooked feel to it.
Full bodied on the palate with high acidity and firm tannins. Generous amounts of very ripe black fruit, licorice and fresh herbs. The 15.5% abv is a problem since it makes the wine feels very warm and out of balance. Impeccable intensity and length but I can't help to find this being a little over the top ripe and warm.
A major disappointment even if I understand that this wine is marked by the dry and warm vintage. Will probably get better with some age to it but there are lots of more interesting expressions of Barbera out there for half the price or less than this.
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5/21/2019 - cct wrote:
With Roberto and Stephanie
Darker and more brooding than the Ceretta, with tar, plum and dark cherry fruits a little bit of merde. On the palate, full scaled, brooding, dark fruited and meatier with some fruit cake. It lacks the lift and freshness of the Ceretta, but is fuller and richer. Full scaled and impressive but not my favored style. If you enjoy full bodied Barbera, you will really enjoy it.
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4/23/2019 - hajoha wrote: 91 Points
Fatprøve.
Blodfersk juice.
Seriøs dybde for en Barbera.
En helt rå frukt som takler sine vanvittige 16% på strak arm.
Er så fersk at nesten vanskelig å smake nå. 91p(?)
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2/13/2019 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Piedmont; 2/11/2019-2/15/2019 (Alba, Italy): Botti sample. To be bottled in June. Absolutely stunning barbera, with incredible brightness and juiciness. Very dense and concentrated, but with a beautiful lightness and elegance that helps cut through all the dense material here. There's a lovely splash of minerality on the back end, with tannins that are still very prominent. Possibly one of the most compelling barberas I've tasted.
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10/8/2018 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:
2018 Visit to Giacomo Conterno with Roberto Conterno (Monforte d'Alba): Another lovely bouquet, but with gravelly minerals, rather than chalk. Also some dark fruit with the red fruit and hints of dark florals. Very different on palate than the Cerretta. Broader with wild berry and smoky game meat elements. More black fruited with blackberries, cherries and plums and even a suggestion of blue fruit. "More acidity?", I asked. "No", said Roberto, "not when you look at the numbers but you get that impression because the Francia does not have the apparent fruit sweetness of the Cerretta". "Very different", said Thierry, "a more classical Barbera". "Two valid expressions of Barbera", agreed Roberto. Again, a top quality Barbera.
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6/26/2018 - Eric Guido Likes this wine:
Tasting with Roberto Conterno (Giocomo Conterno Winery, Monforte): (Barrel Sample) Here I found a display of intense dark red berry fruit offset by minerals, and sweet haunting florals. On the palate, it was so juicy and primary, as masses of red fruits and sweet spice permeated the senses. It finished on freshness, even with its drink-me-now personality. I wonder if collectors of this wine will be able to keep their hands off long enough to watch the 2017 mature. Simply gorgeous. (93-95 points)
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