Giacomo Conterno, Cascina Francia Barolo tasting 2010

Maialino, NYC Lexington and 21st
Tasted Sunday, March 28, 2010 by Eric Guido with 1,308 views

Introduction

A truly great tasting of 1971, and 1988 through 2005 of Giacomo Conterno's Cascina Francia. Organized by Greg Dal Piaz.

The menu
Assorted meats and breads

Primi
Bombolotti alla Carbonara | BlackPepper, Guanciale & Egg
Maccheroni in Guazzetto | Cod, Basil & Tomato

Secondi
Porchetta | Slow-Roasted Pork, Rosemary & Potatoes

Assorted deserts

Flight 1 - Three whites to start our tasting, unfortunately, one is missing from my notes. (2 Notes)

Really impressive all around, especially the 1978.

  • 2002 Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Le Clos Blanc Domaine Gagey 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

    Aromas of toast with Blue cheese, chalky minerals and stone. On the palate flavors of peach and citrus with a stiff acidic structure. I wish I could have spent more time with this glass.

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  • 1978 Stony Hill Chardonnay 91 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Talk about a testament to California's ability to make wine to last decades. The color in the glass was a medium hued gold. Bouquet of fresh cut roses, lime and a hint of nail polish remover. On the palate I found citrus and pear with a nice driven acidity and freshness that bogles the mind.

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Flight 2 - The 1971 Giacomo Conterno, Barolo (1 Note)

Served on it's own as we expected it to stand apart from the other bottles. Also, this bottle was not sourced from the Cascina Francia vineyrad.

  • 1971 Giacomo Conterno Barolo 91 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Maybe a bit past its prime but still performing beautifully, the 1971 shows undergrowth, tar and minerals up front with of hint of it’s sour red fruits from days past. On the palate I found sour berries and cedar leading to a sweeter mid-palate and overall soft mouth feel. The finish was pleasant with old cedar and sour raspberry.

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Flight 3 - The three classics (3 Notes)

One of the most anticipated flights and surely the crowd’s favorite.

  • 1988 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 96 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    The nose immediately shows mint with saddle leather and dark red fruit. On the palate is where this wine scored a lot of points as it showed a resolved and velvety, round mouth feel with cherry, herbs, roses and hint of burnt sugar. The finish was long and tapered away with red fruit and rose. This was one of my top three of the evening, coming in third place for me.

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  • 1989 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 98 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    The nose showed dried red fruits, tar, mushroom broth, a bit of black strap molasses and a hint of barnyard. Showed a gorgeous structure on the palate that gives the impression that this wine will last the ages. Still a little tight with a tannic grip but giving none the less with dark red fruit and a mineral core. Finish was long and fine, showing sour cranberry. This was the wine of the night for me.

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  • 1990 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 95 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Was darker than the ’89 and showed an initial nose of undergrowth and brooding dark red fruit. The palate was like an iron wall to me, giving enough to be highly enjoyable but still needing time to come around. The tannins and acidity form a tightly structured mouth feel with cedar and red fruit. I know that a number of other tasters were very impressed by this bottle and it certainly has a long life ahead but I feel it was dwarfed standing next to the perfectly structured ’89 and the immediately appealing ’88.

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Flight 4 - The off vintages (3 Notes)

Although these were lesser vintages, the wines showed nicely and make for very drinkable Barolo. The most difficult part of this flight was the pasta it was served with was heavily laden with pepper, making the finish of each wine nearly undetectable for me.

Flight 5 - Possible classics in the making (3 Notes)

Another highly anticipated flight for me. ’96 being one of my favorite vintages for Barolo and the ’98 being a wine I hoped to see perform well, I was not disappointed.

  • 1996 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 96 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Floral nose with roses up front, followed by cherry with beef broth, tar. The palate showed lots of cherry fruit, pipe tobacco and earth but all kept in check by a fine structure with streamlined acidity. I can see this wine being a classic as it leaves you lusting to taste it in a more mature state. The finish is refined and reminiscent of the roses on the nose. My number two of the evening, God what a gorgeous Barolo.

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  • 1997 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia Flawed

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    The 1997 came across and a flawed bottle or possibly better explained as a dirty wine. The nose showed a lot of earthy chalk and potato skin. On the palate the performance was good but lacking, likely due to the aromatics being so out of whack. The palate showed ripe dark red fruit, tar and was a bit chunky.

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  • 1998 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    The nose was big and inviting with black cherry, anise and a hint of cinnamon. Drinking beautifully now with a fine structure and almost pinot like feel in the mouth. It’s a very pretty wine that flows across the palate with sweet cranberry and roses leaving you feeling, almost… refreshed. This was one of the most open wines of the evening.

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Flight 6 - Bottles we really should open yet. (3 Notes)

Unfortunately some of the least detailed notes of the evening for me as the palate was coated by tannins and overwhelming rosemary notes of our main course.

  • 1999 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    I found the nose to be a bit muted but showing cherry and a bit of clove. On the palate this showed a gorgeous structure with more cherry fruit. I feel like I didn't have enough time with this wine and that if I could follow it over time it would have opened up quite a bit more for me.

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  • 2000 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 92 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    The nose was big and ripe with black cherries, earth and a bit of raw beef. The palate was soft and full-bodied with dark red fruits, red beets and minerals that all turned a little sweet on the mid palate and led to a slightly tannic finish. I certainly don’t see this lasting decades but it was enjoyable and a good candidate for drinking 5 years plus.

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  • 2001 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 95 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Another favorite of the evening for me. It’s a beautifully structured Barolo showing a glimpse of what’s to come in the future. The nose was very floral with roses, cherry, leather and old cedar. On the palate you find a fine structure with a slightly sour cherry fruit fighting to come out with sweet tobacco and a nice balanced acidity to the wine.

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Flight 7 - Bottles we definetly shouldn't open yet. (3 Notes)

One of the strangest flights for me as it became hard to understand how these would ever rival the majority of the wines we had sampled throughout the evening. I will say that by this time I’m sure my palate was saturated by the tannic structure of the wines preceding this flight.

  • 2003 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 88 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    The 2003 showed big briary red fruit, cinnamon, herbs and dark chocolate on the nose with a little heat. The palate showed sweet, spiced red fruit and raisin but was chewy with cloying tannins. It was textbook to 2003 and left me wondering if I was drinking Barolo.

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  • 2004 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 92 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Honestly, I don’t get all the hype. The nose showed red fruit, undergrowth and a bit of toast. On the palate I found strawberry, cooked orange like marmalade and tar but felt that it lost its heft on the mid-palate and ended feeling linier, restrained and a bit alcoholic. Possibly this is just the stage of its life but certainly not performing very well at the moment.

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  • 2005 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 89 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    On the nose I found menthol, undergrowth and sour cherry with rose and an odd bit of graham cracker. The palate was tight but focused with strawberry fruit, cedar and tar but with a tannic bite keeping it all restrained. I found this to be a little light hearted for a Barolo.

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Closing

My top three of the night were '89, '96 and '88 in that order. However, that third place spot was hard to fill as bottles such as '01, '90 and '98 put up some stiff competition.

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