Visit to Giacomo Conterno

Visiting with Roberto is a great privilege as always. I find it a bit hard to concentrate on tasting the wines themselves and writing detailed notes as I am always interested in asking Roberto more general questions on winemaking.

In terms of vintages, 2019 is clearly viewed here as a great vintage, with Roberto saying it was clear at the time of harvest that he would make only Monfortino from both Francia and Arione. 2020 and 2021 are also very good vintages that they are happy with, but he would not say officially if he is making Monfortino from. I assume he is, but in 2020 at least it also seems like there will be Barolo Francia bottled, which was tasted from barrel. At Nervi, 2018 is a very special vintage especially compared to Barolo, while he views 2019-2021 as high quality vintages in both areas. However, a devastating hail storm led to the loss of 75% of the Nervi crop in 2021, so this will be a small production.

One topic discussed was the aging potential of Barolo today vs. in the past. His view is that there is no reason to assume a wine will age less well because of its early approachability, which is a consequence of both the climate and improvements in the cellar (i.e., higher quality destemming equipment he has purchased improving the quality of the tannins) and one should look to the alcohol, the acidity, and the density of material in the wine as to the aging potential. In the best vintages, he sees his Barolo aging well for up to ~50 years, whereas in slightly less classic years he sees 30-40 years of potential. He brought up 2021 as a vintage with more like 30-40 years of potential than 50.

Time in wood is another interesting topic. While it will continue to be flexible depending on the vintage characteristics, he is reducing time in wood to ~3 years for the non-Monfortino Barolo vs. ~4 years previously. A lot of this can be viewed as simply a response to the impact of climate, but part of it can be viewed, as with other changes in the cellar like the destemming equipment mentioned above, as continuous experimentation with the winemaking process to produce a better wine.

• 2019 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Very brief impression tasting at the winery.
  
  In 2019, all of Arione and Francia will be used for the Monfortino. Roberto said it was clear at the time of harvest that he would produce only Monfortino from both vineyards.
  
  It's hard to evaluate this wine from a very brief tasting amidst other conversation. But my two takeaways were that (a) the 2019 returns to a more pure, red fruited expression of Monfortino, as I recall the 2013-2014, but as opposed to the 2015 which was much darker and spicier in tone, and (b) I found the texture of this vintage to be somewhere in between the 2013 and 2014. I did not find the 2019 to be as finessed as the 2014, a truly special wine where the tannins seem nonexistent each time I have tasted it. But in an absolute sense, this wine is super finessed, as I found the '19 Monfortino rich and concentrated with the tannins almost hidden by the density of fruit. Compared to the 2013, at least, I think the '19 is also a bit more fruit driven and with less savory complexity, but it's unclear to me if that is because of the timing of tasting this or because of the vintage itself.

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• 2021 Giacomo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

  Very brief impression tasting at the winery, from barrel.
  
  My general take on barbera is that it is often too high in alcohol and too lacking in finesse to be a wine I want to drink a bottle of. With that context, my impression was that I am a big fan of the '21 Barbera from Conterno, as the finesse and balance of the wine stood out. I should have asked the alcohol level, but my guess is it is lower than 2020's 15.5%, with the wine showing more energy and a lighter texture than the 2020, which I have tasted twice recently from bottle and found delicious but difficult to drink more than a glass or two of. The flavor profile of the '21 seems to be classic Barbera Francia, with juicy black cherry, lavender, and sweet spices.

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• 2020 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  Very brief impression tasting at the winery, from barrel.
  
  The '20 Francia was by far the most enjoyable and obvious wine of this tasting (vs. the 2019 Monfortino & 2019 Cerretta), a consequence of this vintage, which is very high quality but also more fruit-driven and accessible than 2019.
  
  I found soaring aromatics with pure red berry fruit, red floral tones, mint, and exotic spices, with the sweetness and density of fruit immediately apparent, but the wine also showing some beautiful fresh herbal and spice notes. On the palate, the '20 Francia is super finessed, with incredible density of pure red fruit and almost no perception of tannin, quite a contrast from the '19s tasted alongside it. This will be a stunning wine, and likely also be one of the more accessible young vintages of Francia if the way it is currently showing from barrel ends up holding up in bottle.

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