1971 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino Speciale

Community Tasting Notes (34) Avg Score: 95.6 points

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  10/19/2022 - dchain Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Crystaline ruby red, so vibrant and vigourous! Is it possible that this wine is still not ready! Less playful and open than the "regular" 1971 Barolo. Still tannic on the palate. Deeper flavours but not better for it. Herbal sage notes but the fruit is there but not really able to express at this time as it is still wrapped up in a massive frame. The wine opened up a tiny bit over the course of 90+ minutes but not by much. Maybe better in 5-10 years. Try again in 2031 for my 60th birthday!!

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  8/5/2022 - fadincvaros Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Bottiglia trovata in una cantina moderna, calda, e tenuta verticale per più di trent’anni. Condizioni non ideali e non ero molto ottimista. Invece grande sorpresa, tappo ancora decente, colore da “grande vecchio”, naso più terziarizzato di quanto avrei voluto, ma la bocca era grande, grandissima, con un’acidità ancora ben presente e un bel finale. Una di quelle che ti ricordi

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  10/2/2021 - ericindc Likes this wine:

  A generous friend brought this to dinner in DC for our birthdays. Purchased on release and held in great storage. Short cork, but not soaked completely through. Very tight when first opened, but blossomed over the night. The rich red fruits started to show through with earthy mushroom, rose, and some light herbal hints. Pretty strong tannins that were very drying and a searing acidity. Great bottle of wine.
  
  But wow, this wine just felt super, super young. Crazy for a 50yr old wine. It would not surprise me if this was going strong in 2071. Again, a great experience trying a wine I will likely not have the opportunity to drink again.

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  8/30/2021 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 97 Points

  Oooh, where to start? A dear friend bought two of these from a trusted source, and in an act of extraordinary generosity brought the one with the best fill, easily high shoulder in my estimation. I stood up a 1988 Monfortino in anticipation of the lunch we booked when he was due to come through town.
  
  The cork was fairly easily extracted via his Durand, and we knew we were in luck. The aromatics were clean and assertive, if not generous at first. The color matched expectations: pale and even, not fading All sediment was well settled at the bottom, so we carefully poured a first taste. Red berries, dusty forest floor and hints of licorice and exotic spice. The acidity was remarkable, and it took a good 45 minutes for the fruit to catch up. There was a grippiness as well, though the tannins were fully resolved. For the first hour and a half or so, the improvement was marked, as the fruit gained weight and was matched by a smokiness that emerged. A touch drying on the finish, but what a showing.

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  8/30/2020 - Robmcl920 Likes this wine: 97 Points

  The nose was highly perfumed, dark, and dense, with dried black and blue-toned fruit, sweet baking spices and a hint of chocolate, anise, balsamic, and black truffle. On the palate, it remains richly textured, with concentrated dark fruit, balsamic, dried florals, and smoke. The finish is long and complex, with sweet, almost jammy black fruit, salty minerality, smoke, and exotic spices. While the wine remains youthful & concentrated, the tannins have melted away and the mouthfeel is velvety. It's a phenomenal wine, and is incredibly concentrated and powerful for a wine of 50 years of age.

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