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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.4 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 19 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by jnewman77 on 8/29/2021: This was a fun and lovely bottle to try. The cork seal seemed pretty solid. The wine was classic old nebbiolo color; pale, browning color; the nose however was captivating. Dried mint, the smell of walking through a pine forest after rain, dusty library, dried cherry, orange peel, a hint of dried rose petal. The palate was not quite as good as the nose; still structured and it was slightly drying, but it was so elegant and delicious with food. Really very good, but definitely needs to be consumed sooner rather than later. (1392 views) | | | Tasted by europat55 on 1/10/2021 & rated 87 points: Nose: B+ Palate: B
My #10, Group's #10 (113 pts). Tasted blind. (1587 views) | | | Tasted by Robmcl920 on 11/29/2020 & rated 92 points: On the nose, I found aromatics that were mature and a bit savory, with dried red cherries, smoked meats, dried roses, earth, and star anise. On the palate, the wine was medium-bodied and retained a good level of concentration, with smoky, dried red fruit and floral tones, leading into a finish with smoke, licorice, and earth alongside the dried red fruit. The tannins were fully resolved, with the wine showing the attractive sweetness of aged Nebbiolo along with sharp acidity. It was a savory, masculine expression of Nebbiolo. (2012 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 12/12/2018: This wine was very odd. Poured the color of a darker rose rather than a red wine. It's clearly oxidized. Very light. Maybe some orange peel. It was a funny wine. Prob something off with the bottle, but not the standard corked. (2281 views) | | | Tasted by Lype on 11/17/2018 & rated 92 points: Oozes high quality, excellent package of fruit and aromatics, expensive but lives up to its reputation. Good traditionalist producer. (2022 views) | | | Tasted by acheng on 1/26/2018 & rated 93 points: Slow ox for 8 hours. Smoky and tertiary. Old leather and truffle. Still some faded fruit in the background. Pure elegance. A real treat. (1670 views) | | | Tasted by cct on 2/24/2017 & rated 95 points: Tucson Nebbiolo Winter Escape 2017
Double decanted in the AM and drunk over several hours
From the same cold cellar as my last note from 2011 (Thanks TM)
Still fresh and dare I say youthful, with tar, roses, and deep pitched fruit. Structured and beautifully balanced and much younger than the 70 Giacosa. This carries its well proportioned, full frame very well. A great bend of savory, fruit, and soil all delivered in a large scaled, beautifully structured yet poised frame. It is balanced and complex with everything coming together into a complete wine. Drinking at peak, and at least from this cold cellar, this has a future measured in decades. Tom and I sat down with this and finished the last few ounces until well after midnight, outstanding. 95 (2339 views) | | | Tasted by MikkelLomholt on 2/3/2017 flawed bottle: Flawed! Very weird bottle, perhaps even fake. On the nose, absolutely overdue.
But color did seem very weird, as it was completely dark, which you dont expect for a 47 years old Nebbiolo. (2187 views) | | | Tasted by SteveHyde on 12/25/2014 & rated 89 points: Good fill level. Cork crumbled on opening. Wine shows bright garnet in the center with bricking at the rim. Classic Nebbiolo nose. Clear sweet fruit. Improves with air for an hour, then begins to fade. By the last glass, it's clear the wine is well past its peak. Still delivers pleasure, but it's not the wine I'll bet it was 15 years ago. (2673 views) | | | Tasted by Lype on 6/6/2013: A bit soft, aromatic, I am not sure about his bottle. (419 views) | | | Tasted by avp on 6/5/2013: Some aged fruit on the nose but clearly the emphasis is elsewhere. Caramel, dried mint, medicinal liquorice, some furry hints and huge shellfish kind of character that strenghtens with time. Umami, like in a not that gracefully aged Champagne.
Medium bodied palate with grainy touch and good acidic backbone. Slight meaty character, salt liquorice, smoke, tropical wood and dried fruits in the long aftertaste.
Rather nice at first, but didn't stand the air that well. Shellfish nose and acidic palate after some time of swirling and sniffing. (3279 views) | | | Tasted by cct on 12/20/2011 & rated 96 points: SOM'd in the morning and then deacnted and poured. Drunk over 4 hours. From a very cold cellar with perfect provenance.
Much darker and brooding, a whole different animal than the 67, making the 67 seem almost bush league at the beginning. I would have guessed at least 15 years younger. Powerful and more dark fruited, with tar, blacker fruit, and an imposing structure. This had a beautiful powerful perfumed nose with structure and power that meets you head on, and shakes you by your collar. That said all of this was in perfect balance. Great texture, still scarily primary, with great structure. A formidable, thought provoking, brooding wine that from this cellar and in this bottle's condition I could only guess thrive for another 15-20 years. Great stuff. 96pts (3586 views) | | | Tasted by portobellovines on 6/22/2010 & rated 85 points: As per last bottle (3060 views) | | | Tasted by Ali on 5/29/2010 flawed bottle: This bottle seemed off. Prunes and nutty (3260 views) | | | Tasted by portobellovines on 12/31/2009 & rated 85 points: Outstanding it must have once been - now more of an honor than a pleasure to drink - improved with decanting but on the way out. (2163 views) | | | Tasted by psmith on 12/1/2009: Ken's Birthday (Inovasi; Lake Bluff, IL): Somewhat off-putting wet leaves and decay at first, but really opened up nicely in the glass. Piercing red fruit, floral notes, and sous-bois. Firm structure with high-toned acidity. Great balance. Masculine styling. Very nice. (2730 views) | | | Tasted by MatthewF on 12/1/2009: Ken's Birthday (Inovasi, Lake Bluff, IL): Powerful aromatics of red cherry, flowers, and earth. Very nice texture on the palate with everything in balance. Fantastic acidity with lots of structure. (2919 views) | | | Tasted by NicolaiS on 6/13/2009 & rated 98 points: It had good ruby red colour and it initially revealed a touch of maderization. But after just 5 minutes in the glass, it transformed into a true beauty. The nose had a very characteristic note of menthol, but it also revealed cherries, leather, truffles, iron, iodine, blood and beef. It was amazing. In the mouth it had a very masculine personality with a big body. It still had plenty of well integrated tannins and a whipping acidity. I was completely stunned by this wine and I feel so lucky to have tried it. Wow. It did not let down at all, rather it kept getting better and better. I had the last zip tonight and it was equally stunning. It had not lost anything. A truly amazing wine. 98 points. (2145 views) |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Vinous Table: La Rei, Serralunga, Italy (Jun 2013)
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Vinous Table: La Rei, Serralunga, Italy (Jun 2013)
(Giacomo Conterno Barolo) 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.”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 CellarTrackerItaly 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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