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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 85 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by VanWahlen on 7/23/2022: Fortsatt litt frukt å finne, modne mørke moreller. Tre og nøtter. Avslipte tanniner og frisk syre. (821 views) | | | Tasted by mjj1066 on 11/13/2020 & rated 92 points: Lovely wine showing more of the terroir than barbera character. Drinking really well now but has a lot of life left. (1753 views) | | | Tasted by Cmainardi on 7/6/2018: From magnum. P n p. Beautiful expressive nose. Dark fruits, tar with integrated tannins. An aged Barbera that is simply delicious. Not a bit of fading. Still has life however it was my last bottle. I think I paid about 40 for the magnums. (2812 views) | | | Tasted by Sheila62 on 11/9/2017: Cellared since my purchase..Ripe fruit with soil tones balanced by an almost perfect acidity and good minerality. I purchased these for 26 and that is good value. Great barbera that impressed me with its balance. (3255 views) | | | Tasted by Oenecnist on 8/26/2017: I posted on this wine in Aug '15. I was not impressed with that bottle, even less with this one. Color: good, dark at the edge; Nose: muted, difficult to find fruit; Body: not particularly pleasant, rustic, hard to find fruit; Finish: nothing worth noting. Once again, I let this wine breathe for about 3h before trying it and saved enough from the first night to try it over four days. It never developed, and ox was imposing by day 4. I'll repeat my earlier comment: "I am generally cautious with better Piedmont red wines because I cannot know how long to let them breathe." My storage conditions: Stored horizontally in dark basement with 50-55 humidity; corks do well, though I've had a few break on older bottles stored 10+ years closer to the dehumidifier. My evaluation: I'm tending not to give scores on a "100-point scale" as I've become less convinced that they can be meaningful to others. I'm inclined to use a 4-category scale (perhaps with +/-)--not including flawed--which runs outstanding/notable/drinkable/poor. I consider this '04 Conterno to be drinkable- when considering quality, age, and price. (3244 views) | | | Tasted by JWG on 12/17/2016 & rated 94 points: Dark cassis and smoke on the nose. Unctuous mouth feel, big fruit and some tar. A beautiful barbera. (3703 views) | | | Tasted by Bob H on 6/25/2016: Just uncorked for a dinner tonight; translucent ruby in the glass, with ripe red & black fruits on the nose.
Sweet & tart red & black fruit on the palate, elevated acidity - if you like the flavor profile of a Barbera, this is drinking very nicely this morning! Nice length on the finish, with just a slight touch of alcoholic heat to distract at the end. (3981 views) | | | Tasted by galenico on 2/26/2016 & rated 86 points: VERTICALE CONTERNO BARBERA CASCINA FRANCIA: Il frutto inizia a terziarizzare e perde la carnalità che rende unica la Barbera.
Profilo più stanco, autunnale e decadente. Mi aspettavo tutt' altro. (4034 views) | | | Tasted by drwine2001 on 12/19/2015: Some Terrific Older Piemonte Reds to Finish the Year; 12/19/2015-12/31/2015 (San Francisco): Tasted out of decanter for 2 hours. Dark, clear, almost opaque ruby/purple. Riveting nose-blackberry jam, blueberry, pine, and green herbs. Full bodied, dense, and powerful. Very primary fruit that is unbelievably concentrated yet not heavy at all due to the life blood of this wine, which is its electric acidity accompanied by strong minerality. Anise note adds complexity. Substantial tannins are refined and almost silky. I've never tasted a Barbera this old, yet this seemed 20 years too young! It is rare to find a wine that is so vibrant and completely alive. Fabulous experience. (3669 views) | | | Tasted by JWG on 10/6/2015 & rated 93 points: Dark cassis and smoke on the nose. Unctuous mouth feel with big fruit and a little tar and excellent acidity that balances the big fruit. Still very lively and nowhere over the hill, so moving next bottle to next year. (3156 views) | | | Tasted by Louvin on 9/6/2015 & rated 94 points: 2 hr decant, this is in such a great place, lush dark fruits with a velvety component and yet a firm spine. Can't imagine it getting any better than it is now. Best yet of all the bottles drunk, 12. (2485 views) | | | Tasted by Oenecnist on 8/5/2015 & rated 90 points: I am generally cautious with better Piedmont red wines because I cannot know how long to let them breathe. I gave this BdAl 2-3 hours by the time I finished the bottle while enjoying a delicious pork roast with baked potatoes/chives and steamed brox on a mild summer evening al fresco. The dark color was fine; the nose was muted black fruit and a bit of tar; very good mouthfeel and semi-rich dark fruit but muted; finish was adequate. I was trying the wine over a 60-90m period and had no sense that it was improving with air. Perhaps much longer would have brought out more fruit--don't know. At 25/b from a local retailer, this was a good example of the type, but it is not my best value for money. (2309 views) | | | Tasted by Sheila62 on 9/27/2014: Ripe fruit with soil tones balanced by an almost perfect acidity and good minerality. I purchased these for 26 and that is good value. Great barbera that impressed me with balance. (2784 views) | | | Tasted by JWG on 9/20/2014 & rated 93 points: Black currants and earthy smoke on the nose. Dark chewy mouth feel with big dark fruit, well integrated acidity balancing the big fruit -- and a creeping hit of tannin that slowly builds on the finish but never overpowers. (2534 views) | | | Tasted by Cmainardi on 7/28/2014 & rated 91 points: From magnum. Drink up. Excellent example of aged varietal. Characteristic acidity of Barbera muted and tannins fully integrated. Still deep purple. If I were served this blind, I would never have guessed it to be a 10 year old Barbera
(2538 views) | | | Tasted by SteveHyde on 5/23/2014 & rated 93 points: The best bottle I've had yet. Quite something to think that a 10-year old Barbera is showing better now than it did 5 years ago. Sour cherry fruit, dense tannins, fabulous grip, but beautiful balance, as well. Great. (2906 views) | | | Tasted by JWG on 2/14/2012 & rated 93 points: Another great bottle -- dark dark cassis and smoke on the nose. Unctuous mouth feel with big fruit and a little tar and excellent acidity that balances the big fruit. (4642 views) | | | Tasted by DHJ1968 on 2/5/2012: Enjoyed this much more than the 2006 I tasted over the summer. Floral and red fruit aromatics on the nose are followed by high toned flavors of sour cherries, anise and earth. Well balanced with good acidity, this was an absolute pleasure to drink with arugula salad and grilled veal chop. From magnum. (3832 views) | | | Tasted by Grape_ape on 1/17/2012 & rated 89 points: Perhaps waited too long on this... interesting nose of sour cherry with faint whiffs of earth and some gaminess. Sour cherry, earth, high acidity, but the problem I had with this bottle was the very short, almost lack of finish. Still a nice bottle, but performance at this stage makes it a relatively poor QPR. (4008 views) | | | Tasted by cct on 5/31/2011 & rated 92 points: Still pretty dark in color. The nose is fresh and deep. On the palate, pomegranate, flowers, dark fruits, anise, almost tarry in its blackness. The acidity has resolved to a point where it has reached a sweet spot where it maintains freshness but is fattening out in the mid palate. This is very well balanced. There is still lift and freshness which is a great contrast to the darkness. This is very savory, but there is no dearth of fruit. This has great balance and leaves you wanting more. In a great place right now and I suspect will hold for a few more years. Very well done. 92pts (4679 views) | | | Tasted by Philippe_C on 5/21/2011 & rated 90 points: Powerfull nose of black ripe fruit, blueberries, blackberries, mushrooms, sous-bois... in the mouth, black fruit, licorice, very high acidity, light ripe tannins, very refreshing (4613 views) | | | Tasted by JWG on 4/10/2011 & rated 91 points: Dark dark cassis and smoke on the nose. Unctuous mouth feel with big fruit and a little tar and good acidity. Very satisfying.
Hours later, I have to revise the score and give it a 93. Developed into even a bigger wine with smoky menthol notes and an even chewier satisfying mouth feel. (3803 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Fisher on 2/26/2011 & rated 90 points: Really rich, classic floral eathy conterno. (4080 views) | | | Tasted by chablis28 on 2/19/2011 & rated 89 points: My last btl. This is solid enjoyable barbera with some character but maybe not worth the $34 price tag. I think I'll stick to Barberas for $25 and under. (3773 views) | | | Tasted by rbr3 on 12/27/2010 & rated 91 points: Drunk for pure pleasure, 2. day christmas.
Since it needed some food, christmas-ham and cremed pasta made i opening up.
A bit tight and knit first hour.
A beautiful dark warm red colour with long nice legs.
Smells also of sweet warm fruits and different coloured roses. Some leathery bits is arriving at the back.
Just grows and puts on weight in the mouth, has developed very nice since last time a year back. But feels like 2-3 more years will only be for the good! But also here the warm feeling is rather strong, but not in a very bad way.
Compared with most ordinary barbera´s, a "serious" wine that really works with heavy food. (4203 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Giacomo Conterno: Barbera d’Alba Cascina Francia 2000-2010 (Mar 2014)
(Giacomo Conterno Barbera D'alba Cascina Francia) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Italy’s 2001 Barolo and 2001 and 2003 Barbaresco vintages (Oct 2006)
(Giacomo Conterno Barbera D'alba Cascina Francia) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Barolo 2002: New Releases (May 2006)
(Giacomo Conterno Barbera D'alba Cascina Francia) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Giacomo Conterno Producer website
Ken Vastola's fabulous guide to G. Conterno labels
Praelum: “Arguably the King of Barolo. No wine journey is complete without the tasting of one of the great Conternos. ‘Only premium quality can bring prestige to the Langhe.’ Giovanni Conterno taught his two sons Giacomo and Roberto after World War I to ferment and age wines in Bottis with prolonged maceration and ageing. The brothers split in 1969 and Giacomo started investing in his own vineyards since 1974. The wines of Cascina Francia, Monfortino and recently, Ceretta from Serralunga d’Alba are amongst the finest expressions of Nebbiolo that the wine world has ever seen. 4-6 years ageing usually.”Barbera Varietal character (Appellation America)
Varietal character (Wikipedia German)
Varietal character (Wikipedia English)
Barbera is a red wine variety, originally from Italy, which is best known as the second-most important Piedmontese variety after Nebbiolo. The wines made of this grape are mainly the everyday drinking wines of the region. The main appellations producing Barbera are Asti and Alba.
Barbera - The most widely grown red wine grape of Piedmont and Southern Lombardy, most famously around the towns of Asti and Alba, and Pavia. The wines of Barbera were once simply "what you drank while waiting for the Barolo to be ready." With a new generation of wine makers, this is no longer the case. The wines are now meticulously vinified, aged Barbera gets the name "Barbera Superiore" (Superior Barbera), sometimes aged in French barrique becoming "Barbera Barricato", and intended for the international market. The wine has bright cherry fruit, a very dark color, and a food-friendly acidity.Cascina Francia On weinlagen-infoItaly Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorPiedmont Vignaioli Piemontesi (Italian only)
On weinlagen-infoAlba Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Roero
Alba is a town and comune of Piedmont, Italy, in the province of Cuneo. It is considered the capital of the hilly area of Langhe, and is famous for the white truffle, peach and wine production. Piedmont is in the Northwestern region of Italy, bordering France and Switzerland. Piedmont is predominantly a plain where the water flows from the Swiss and French Alps to form the headwaters of the Po river. The major wine producing areas are in the southern portion of the region in the hills known as the "Langhe". Here the people speak a dialect that is 1/3 French and 2/3 Italian that portrays their historical roots. Their cuisine is one of the most creative and interesting in Italy. Nebbiolo is the King grape here, producing Barolo and Barbaresco. In addition, the Barbera and Dolcetto are the workhorse grapes that produce the largest quantity of wine. Piedmont is predominantly a red wine producing area. There are a few whites made in Piedmont, and the Moscato grape produces a large volume of sweet, semi-sweet and sparkling wines as well. |
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