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 Vintage2001 Label 1 of 8 
TypeRed
ProducerConterno Fantino (web)
VarietyNebbiolo
Designationn/a
VineyardSorì Ginestra
CountryItaly
RegionPiedmont
SubRegionLanghe
AppellationBarolo

Community Tasting History

Community Tasting Notes (average 94.4 pts. and median of 95 pts. in 26 notes)

 Tasted by bon vivant on 1/1/2010: New year's eve & day; 12/31/2009-1/1/2010: With a recent 1989 drinking beautifully I just had this urge to try this wine again. This was decanted for a little over 7 hrs but the wine smelled great even as it went into the decanter. Sure this is still primary with just a hint of secondary development. Lilac and tar on a dark modern frame. Sweet red & black fruit in a rich style. A nice mineral note on a solid core of fruit. Well balanced and good structure which suggests a very promising future, yet as this bottle proved there is no problem enjoying this now. (304 views)
 Tasted by danstrings on 12/12/2009 & rated 95 points: 40th BDAY Gary and Rona's – Wow, staggering aromatics of wild spice, toffee, espresso and mocha. Juts soars from the glass, modern styled I guess but lots of good earth and fruit. Tannic on the palate and in need of food (and time) palate wise, but a sexy Barolo! (523 views)
 Tasted by Jpeard3 on 10/6/2009 & rated 95 points: (688 views)
 Tasted by jrube on 6/28/2009 & rated 97 points: (978 views)
 Tasted by Anonymous on 5/2/2009 & rated 93 points: still not ready for prime time with prominent mouth drying tannins but its showing its potential as one of the great barolos of the vintage (1480 views)
 Tasted by Finare Vinare on 4/25/2009 & rated 95 points: (1294 views)
 Tasted by slaton on 2/13/2009: Rich and fearsomely concentrated - almost like a wine reduction. Strawberry liqueur with some balsamic spice and lots of grainy wood vanillan. Developing, but still young and very astringently tannic. Rather alcoholic as well. This is Barolo? On first blink I might have guessed a jammy, modern Rioja. After three days in the fridge it's settled down a bit; the wood still shows strongly, but peels back just enough to give a glimpse of the grape. Respect, but I doubt the ripeness and wood here are ever going to be to my liking. (1787 views)
 Tasted by Darius on 11/24/2008 & rated 96 points: drinking beautifully with shortribs (1929 views)
 Tasted by Anonymous on 3/7/2008: no notes or memory of this wine. therefore, NR. (2633 views)
 Tasted by kstoddard on 3/5/2008 & rated 90 points: eRobert Parker Offline - Giacosa and other Italian Wine (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): Vanilla oak. Raspberries. Dry tannins with a rich finish. This wine showed much better the last two times I've tried it. (2909 views)
 Tasted by goofy Yno on 3/5/2008 & rated 89 points: lot of vanilla oak. cherry, tight. not showing well. (2556 views)
 Tasted by mattiasjansson on 3/5/2008 & rated 93 points: (1292 views)
 Tasted by MattJ on 12/4/2007 & rated 95 points: From memory, May 31, 2005 - winery tasting in Monforte d'Alba with our guests the day after our wedding in the local piazza antica. I wasn't planning on buying wine during our honeymoon with wedding gifts to carry back. However after tasting this I contemplated leaving a few gifts behind! Modern styled full bodied Barolo with wonderful richness and balance. Uncharacteristic purple color. Great now but has the structure and underlying tannins for the long term. The best Barolo to date. Knew I'd tasted something special and immediately bought 3 btl's at 30 Euro each. After return, ratings came out with WS99 & Tanzer 95. Right place, right time, I doubt I'll ever get a better deal than this. (3067 views)
 Tasted by goofy Yno on 7/11/2007 & rated 93 points: this wine impressed me. I don't remember liking it as much the last time. it had a long (12 hour?) decant in both instances. some oak, vanilla cherries. good smooth mouth with some complexity. (3340 views)
 Tasted by kstoddard on 7/11/2007 & rated 94 points: Phoenix eRP Offline - Italian (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): Blackberry, blackcurrant and a touch of barnyard. Rich, concentrated mid palate and an great finish. Great depth. Impressive. (3763 views)
 Tasted by rmodak on 4/30/2007 & rated 95 points: This was very closed on opening. It got better every hour open in the decanter. At the 5th hour, the perfume of raspberry, roses emerged. The palate was rich, like a young CdP, with licorice, cedar, and tar. Firm tannins and a long finish. I felt guilty as this was best on the last sip. If I were to attempt this infanticide again, I would decant for at least 8 hours. This was not as open as previously noted - perhaps it is starting to shut down? (3615 views)
 Tasted by plhew on 2/7/2007 & rated 97 points: Had to taste the 1st bottle of the case and was not dissapointed. This one really llived up to the hype. Deep ruby color with great nose of red fruit. This wine was very balanced with deep red fruit. Medium body, more so than most barolos. Reminded me more of a west coast pinot. Definitely the best and richest barolo for me yet. This should tame down a bit after a couple years in bottle. Excellent. Tasted again 3/3/09, still tight, give it another 2 years. (3851 views)
 Tasted by freek on 12/25/2006 & rated 95 points: (2640 views)
 Tasted by der on 11/4/2006: Our group drank 2 bottles at Restaurant Fabio in Vienna, Austria. Had to send back a cooked 1998 Scavino Bric del Fiasc before getting to this one. Both bottles were consistent - dark, inky purple, very primary. Sweet dark cherry, even black, fruit with licorice and oak notes on the nose and palate. Tannins are there at the back end, but this is a well integrated wine for its age. Thick and heavy for a Barolo - this is VERY modern style in my opinion. Superb for that style. (4245 views)
 Tasted by Ali on 9/11/2006 & rated 98 points: Excellent wine. A new barolo benchmark for me. (4796 views)
 Tasted by ScottS on 9/6/2006 & rated 96 points: (Decanted for 12 hours prior to tasting) Med reddish-purple in color, licorice, tar & crushed berry on the nose, full bodied, mouth coating, multi layered, very young wine with a LOT of stuffing, the tannins were present but well integrated and the finish lasted for 30+ seconds....excellent balance!
50+5+15+17+9=96 pts (5280 views)
 Tasted by kstoddard on 9/6/2006 & rated 92 points: Phoenix eRP Offline - Piedmont (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix) (3010 views)
 Tasted by goofy Yno on 9/6/2006 & rated 91 points: (1782 views)
 Tasted by wkaericher on 8/9/2006 & rated 97 points: (3153 views)
 Tasted by freek on 7/13/2006 & rated 96 points: (3212 views)
 Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine...

CellarTracker Wiki Articles (login to edit | view all articles)
Producer website

It is rare among the individualistic personalities that exist in the Langhe Hills to find two young winemakers with such a strong willingness to work together. In 1982, at the tender age of 18, Claudio Conterno and family partnered with Guido Fantino (ex- cellar master at Prunotto and another young rising star) to form the Conterno-Fantino estate. The nucleus of their efforts was cru Ginestra, which grew to include Vigna del Gris located on the same hilltop in the commune of Monforte d’Alba (known for austere, structured Barolos). Early ambitions incorporated the traditional approach set by their parents. But in 1985 the duo decided to experiment with a Nebbiolo/Barbera? blend in what is now the legendary Super Piemonte, Monprà, which included the use of barrique. In 1994 they built a state-of- the-art winery in the Bricco Bastia area where they brought innovation and technology to the Nebbiolo vines they had mastered. The pair remains at the forefront of advancement in quality winemaking, and they firmly believe that vigilant viticultural practices are the essence of great wine.

About red wine
Varietal character (Appellation America) | Nebbiolo on CellarTracker
Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctor
Vignaioli Piemontesi (Italian only)
Union of Producers of Albese Wines (Albeisa)
Regional History: The wines of Piemonte are noted as far back as Pliny's Natural History. Due to geographic and political isolation, Piemonte was without a natural port for most of its history, which made exportation treacherous and expensive. This left the Piemontese 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.

 
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