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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.8 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 47 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by acyso on 11/18/2023 & rated 93 points: Nebbiolos, white truffles, Volume VIII (Chicago, IL): Double decanted at 11am. From this era, I've always been a little wary of the Conterno wines, because they can often be a bit dried out or weird, but this bottle was none of that. Very chewy and backwards, with a riper (and far blacker) profile than the Giacosa on the palate. Dense and stern with plenty of tannins still, even if this is already reasonably approachable. (1131 views) | | | Tasted by Nanda on 11/18/2023 & rated 93 points: Much more harmonious and pristine than the more ripe 1997s (Falletto and Santo Stefano) from Giacosa in the same flight. This felt quite classic and just hitting a peak stride. (662 views) | | | Tasted by hermann on 12/24/2017 & rated 92 points: Decanted for 3 hours. A lovely, mature wine on a wonderful Christmas Eve. Nuanced, long finish - and, most importantly, the embodiment of what these occasions really mean. (4602 views) | | | Tasted by LWI on 11/20/2017 & rated 93 points: A bit muted at first, something synthetic to it as well, but blossoms with air; nice grip, surprisingly structured for the vintage. (4198 views) | | | Tasted by Kemo Sabe on 10/25/2017 & rated 93 points: Lots of soy and soy sauce. A cedar closet with plenty of wood spices. Rich and good depth of flavor. Still young and will be better with age. Enjoyable today but tons of upside. 93 today and higher scores to come. (4431 views) | | | Tasted by JWG on 10/1/2017 & rated 97 points: Even better than the 2016 tasting. Huge, dark wine. Nose is Earth and roses and juicy dark nebbiolo fruit. Palate is mushroomy, juicy, chewy, with big acidity on the back end playing off the deep fruit. Moderate tannins. This is BAROLO in the classic mode. (4153 views) | | | Tasted by drwine2001 on 7/27/2017: Even ruby color. Some volatile acidity, fennel, and with time, more haunting secondary perfume. Light to medium weight, lean fruit, earth, a touch of cocoa, and prominent green elements. It certainly does not come across as a hot vintage wine. Excellent now but probably already on the downward slope. (4622 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 5/10/2017 & rated 92 points: Casual (Mostly) Italian Wine Dinner with Friends (Ballaro - Highwood IL): In 95/96/97/98 vertical. Also lots of black and red cherry. Seemed firm to start, but this certainly loosened up with time in glass. Very good length with emerging balance. Almost ready! My favorite of the flight, which was admittedly disappointing. (2628 views) | | | Tasted by JWG on 11/6/2016 & rated 95 points: This has grown a bit richer since our 2013 tasting. Nose of earth and roses and rich nebbiolo fruit. Palate is earthy, mushroomy, juicy. Great acid balancing all the fruit, and a shorter tannic note this time. (2534 views) | | | Tasted by ctjared on 11/11/2015: Excellent (3510 views) | | | Tasted by kenv on 5/30/2015 & rated 94 points: [Decanted at 2pm. The cork was hard, but came out in one piece, unlike the bottle of 5/14/15.] Floral and fragrant right from the git go. Nose of tar, dried roses, and charred wood. The mid-palate has sweet cherry fruit, but the long finish is dominated by dry tannins at this point.
By 6pm, the nose is more bacon and rose. More silky than the G. Rinaldi BLC, but still some tannin and sour cherry on the finish. A little better than the bottle we had on 5/14/15. With 6 hours of air, this is definitely ready to go. Excellent with BBQ'ed short ribs. (4062 views) | | | Tasted by cardsandwine on 5/14/2015: Vinous group dinner at Morrell. Dark brown color, musty bouquet. Palate of old dried raisins. IMO, this, like most Baroli from this vintage, has passed on. (2818 views) | | | Tasted by Eric Guido on 5/14/2015 & rated 88 points: The Icon Vs. The Iconoclast: Giacomo Conterno & Luciano Sandrone (Morrell Wine Bar): The nose showed a mix of moist earth, minerals, musky cedar and olive brine. On the palate, I found tart red berry fruit in a sappy, yet somewhat muddled expression. Dried red fruits and musky tones lingered on the finish. The question came up if this is over the hill, or possibly damaged, yet the bottle was stored properly since release. It may just be that some ‘97s are fading fast. (4112 views) | | | Tasted by kenv on 5/14/2015 & rated 92 points: G. Conterno Barolo vs. L. Sandrone Barolo (Morrell Wine Bar and Café, NYC): [Double decanted at 11am.] Dirty, earthy nose, but not unappealing. Very tannic in the mouth with rich black fruit. Complex and long. Hinting at greatness, but something isn't quite right. Others thought it might have been corked. I did not. 92 points, but may not be representative of this wine.
I brought the 97 CF to this tasting. I bought it in 2008 from a good source, and it has shared a case since then with the 96 CF that we tasted this evening. The cork for the 96 was perfect. The cork for the 97 was dry on top and broke apart as I tried to open the bottle. I did not think it was over the hill at all, but I did think it was off in some way. I don't recall ever having this wine before from any source, so I can't say whether this bottle was representative of any other. I do hope to pop another bottle of the 97 CF from the same box soon. (4506 views) | | | Tasted by cct on 2/27/2015 & rated 90 points: Deeper and more brooding than either of the Giacosa barbareschi, Larger scaled, structured Serralunga profile. Picking nits on this wine, it is a bit bigger than it can hold together for me, a little overripe and lacking a high degree of balance. Excellent density and power without it feeling heavy, but it just falls short a bit for me. Maybe it will come together in time, but as much as I would like to love this wine, the 97 CF has never moved me the several times I'v head it. A bit obvious and out in front, and while still outstanding, and with parts that impress, it just doesn't seem to add up to a greater whole at his point (or any other time I've tried it). (2201 views) | | | Tasted by kevinacohn on 11/4/2014: From Doug Polaner's personal cellar. Tasted immediately following the 2009 vintage, the lineage is clear, the differences between the two vintages in stark relief. 1997 has never been my favorite Barolo vintage—I prefer 1998—but this was a pleasure to drink and arguably at its peak. Tannins fully resolved, acid balancing the fruit, great secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors. Leather, tar, dried flowers, red cherries, and a finish that lingers. Rated 2 on a scale of -1 to 3. (2367 views) | | | Tasted by DougLee on 7/19/2014 & rated 93 points: Decanted for 45 minutes. Translucent brick ruby color. Nose of fecund soil, porcini, anise, tar, high-pitched florals, plum. On the palate an initial wave of sweet strawberry and black cherry fruit followed by deepening layers of woodsy notes, leather, mushroom, tar, and dark plum. Moderate acidity and well-managed but serious tannins leading to a long finish of earth, lacy red fruit, and more mushroom. Power and silky elegance in spades. Could improve for years. (2690 views) | | | Tasted by teemu on 7/7/2014 & rated 96 points: Very dark, brownish colour. Generous nose, tar, leather, lakrits. Silky tannins, still very powerful but what an elegance! Perfect barolo to drink now! (2751 views) | | | Tasted by BradE on 2/25/2014: Italian Lunch: This was somewhat controversial. It was flighted with a 97 Massolino Vigna Rionda Reserva, and for half the table, bested the Massolino. Both sides of the debate thought the others daft. Multiple re-tastings left everyone with their initial impression. (3345 views) | | | Tasted by rnellans on 2/25/2014 & rated 92 points: Very '97 like'. Ripe, some floral and red fruit on the nose. Not much tar, leather, etc. Rich palate with good fruit. Still some tannins. Sweet finish. (3195 views) | | | Tasted by gilrbo on 10/20/2013: Drunk over dinner with friends, no TN.
Drinking the last sips as I'm writing this.
Still very young, but drinking beautifully right now.
Edit: JWG's TN says what I also would say about this wine. (3040 views) | | | Tasted by Chris Forno on 10/20/2013 & rated 89 points: Decanting Regime: Slow Ow'd for 2 hours and decanted for an additional 2 hours.
Nose: Concentrated blue and red fruits with leather and prunes. You can smell what I perceive to be the decay of the big fruit in a warm year.
Taste: Full in the mouth with red fruit but a short finish. Tastes old and lacks the acidity to keep it fresh. A little disjointed as the acidity appears on the linear finish.
Overall: Similar experience to my last bottle consumed about two years ago. Not very interesting but not unexpected given the year. Great producer but reaffirms my position that aged Barolo made in a warm year like 1997 is just not for me. (1728 views) | | | Tasted by FamilyLarsson on 8/7/2013 & rated 95 points: Drack det på Restaurant Cotto Crudo i Prag tillsammans med ett fat fullt med Italienska delikatesser. Kan man ha det bättre?
Underbar doft av körsbär, jordgubbar, apelsinskal, lakrits, mull, tobak. Börjat få viss mognad men fortfarande väldigt mycket grepp i tanninerna, men i fin balans med frukten och syran. Underbart! (3047 views) | | | Tasted by JWG on 2/8/2013 & rated 94 points: Nose full of rich nebbiolo fruit and a background of menthol. Palate is earthy, juicy, bright, good acid, and a long integrated tannic note. Needs a minimum of an hour to start to show. (3270 views) | | | Tasted by lepetitchateau on 12/21/2012 & rated 93 points: A bit heavy-handed, but firm and powerful. (3132 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| The World of Fine Wine, December 2015, Issue #50
(Giacomo Conterno Cascina Francia) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 9th Annual Wine Dinner and Auction to Benefit The Mount Sinai Hospital (Feb 2012)
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Sep/Oct 2008, Issue #17, Cantine Giacomo Conterno: Piemonte Pillar of Excellence and Tradition
(Barolo “Cascina Francia”- Giacomo Conterno) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Giacomo Conterno Vertical Tasting (Jul 2005)
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/1/2002)
(Giacomo Conterno, Serralunga D'Alba Cascina Francia Barolo Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, November/December 1998, IWC Issue #81
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia) Subscribe to see review text. | By Lyle Fass
Rockss and Fruit (5/4/2005)
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia) This surpised me. I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. Very ripe dark cherry nose intermingled with some hints of tar and mineral. Juicy and ripe on the palate for a Cascina Francia with thoroughly compelling fruit presence. Just unreal in the mouth with great amplitude and density. Stunning purity and depth of fruit. But still with all that fruit there were big tannins and a serious structure. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of The World of Fine Wine and Vinous and View From the Cellar and JancisRobinson.com and Rockss and Fruit. (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.”NebbioloNebbiolo is a red grape indigenous to the Piedmont region of Italy in the Northwest. The grape can also be found in other parts of the world, though they are not as respected.
Nebbiolo is often considered the "king of red wines," as it is the grape of the famed wines of Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, and Roero DOCG. It is known for high tannins and acidity, but with a distinct finesse. When grown on clay, Nebbiolo can be very powerful, tannic, and require long aging periods to reach its full potential. When grown on sand, the grape exhibits a more approachable body with more elegant fruit and less tannins, but still has high aging potential.
"Nebbiolo" is named for the Italian word, "nebbia", which means "fog", in Italian and rightfully so since there is generally a lot of fog in the foothills of Piedmont during harvest.
Nebbiolo is a late-ripening variety that does best in a continental climate that boasts moderate summers and long autumns. In Piedmont, Nebbiolo is normally harvested in October.
More links:
Varietal character (Appellation America) | Nebbiolo on CellarTrackerCascina Francia On weinlagen-infoItaly Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorPiedmont Vignaioli Piemontesi (Italian only)
On weinlagen-infoLanghe Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Roero | Union of Producers of Albese Wines (Albeisa)BaroloRegional History:
The wines of Piedmont are noted as far back as Pliny's Natural History. Due to geographic and political isolation, Piedmont was without a natural port for most of its history, which made exportation treacherous and expensive. This left the Piedmontese 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.
map of Barolo DOCG
An interesting thread on Traditional vs. Modern Barolo producers:
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=106291 |
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