1955 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Speciale

Community Tasting Notes (21) Avg Score: 94.7 points

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  9/9/2023 - englishman's claret wrote:

  Tasting this blind, it seems very clearly old Burgundy or old Barolo. Its mild oxidation obscures some details, but from a Grassl Cru it still manages to tell its story (the Zalto Bordeaux and Riedel vinum don't capture its essence well). There's a pleasing depth of cherry, tar, cinnamon, old leather, and a little gamey, terrine-like meatiness on the nose. The tannins have mostly melted away on the palate and it's here that the oxidation shines through a little more, though it's mild enough that it remains perfectly drinkable. I won't score this given the oxidation, but if that component were removed and we were left with the rest, it would probably land in the high 80s to low 90s.

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  12/9/2021 - Andre Brattland wrote:

  Old-fashioned intense, somewhat volatile and dried orange touch in the aromas with dried mushrooms and leather / licorice-like touch. Full-bodied wine that shows with the old-fashioned touch with dried orange fruit, clear ripe rosehip, cloves and leather. On the other hand, a part of the wine has real life and give pleasure with width and more complex finish. Well, no wine defects, but no optimal bottle perhaps. But with 66 years in the bag, we humans are not without flaws either. Wine for reflection. No big deal with scoring here. That's what it is - for better or for worse. Great experience.

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  5/18/2019 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Clear red cherry with licorice, anise and dry soil notes. Nice bottle.

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  6/3/2018 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 96 Points

  Popped and poured. Light red almost a pink color. Nearly translucent. Lovely aromas of leather, saddle, soy, umami. Very clean nose. On the palate it’s a lot of leather and delicate red berries. This wine has become totally feminine yet retains the power of Nebbiolo. Very graceful at this age. Don’t see the point in waiting. This delivers a lot of pleasure now and is loaded with nuance and complexity. Great wine and a real treat to drink.

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  6/1/2018 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 97 Points

  Henri Jayer & Disciples (15 USW): Light ruby red in colour with thinner bricked edges. Initially the nose is all fall leaves and darks teas but begins to full out and add weight. Savory and spicy. Dynamic and the complexity is escalating quickly. The palate has soft and tertiary dried fruit, lots of acid. This wine is really alive and moving all over the place, but all in good ways. More maple and hickory notes melding into the sweet red cherry fruit. Hay smoke, dusty earth, dried rose petals. I’m really tough on Barolo, but this is a spectacularly showing, no two ways around that, distinctly Italian in its spice profile. This bottle was in such good looking shape that the auction house actually flagged it for authenticity verification, and actually shipped it back to Conterno for inspection, who I guess gave the thumbs up since this made it back to us. Special.

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