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Barolo Cascina Francia 2008 75cl

DOCG | Barolo | Piemonte | Italy
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Critics scores
95 Robert Parker
The 2008 Barolo Cascina Francia possesses gorgeous inner perfume, layers of sublime fruit and fabulous overall balance. Plums, dark cherries and licorice are followed by darker notes of graphite and tar as the wine opens up in the glass. Today, the 2008 is much less expressive than it has been the many times I have tasted it from barrel. It will be interesting to see how the 2008 develops and whether it puts on weight or remains more of a mid-weight, gracious Barolo. Either way, it is fabulous. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2048. A stop at this historic cellar in the center of Monforte is always fascinating, as no one keeps Barolo longer in cask than Roberto Conterno, giving the visitor a chance to taste numerous wines all in various stages of their maturation. If forced to pick a favorite recent vintage, I would vote for 2010, a year in which all of the wines are fabulous. Next would be 2008 and 2006, two super-classic years. Robero Conterno is by far the most enlightened of the traditional producers in Barolo. I don’t think too many producers taste their wines as often as Roberto Conterno does, but what really separates Conterno from the overwhelming majority of his peers is his intense intellectual curiosity about the world’s great wines. The Conterno wines remain traditional in interpretation, but they are also clearly the work of a winemaker living in his time and not the past. This set of new releases is full of highlights, but the Barbera from Conterno’s Cerretta vineyard is particularly of note because it is the most improved wine in the lineup. When Conterno purchased this plot in 2008, he told me it would take 2-3 years to get the vineyard into top shape. When I asked him recently where he was in that process, the answer was, “Ninety percent.” Readers should note that the two flagship Baroli, Cascina Francia and Monfortino, were especially shut down every time I tasted them this past summer. Conterno bottled a month earlier than normal this year, and I think that is the reason the wines were particularly impenetrable. Readers may also want to take a look at my previous reviews, based on barrel samples, for greater context.
94 Wine Spectator
There's a mineral component here that lends a distinctive savory element to the cherry, currant, underbrush and tea flavors. Elegant, yet intense and balanced, showcasing a lighter style than most Barolos, with a firm, earthy finish. Still locked up. Best from 2016 through 2035. 1,500 cases made. –BS
Producer
Giacomo Conterno
Without a doubt, Giacomo Conterno is one of the greatest producers in Barolo. Though they have viticultural roots going back to the 18th century, they only began producing Barolo in 1908 when the family was running a tavern in San Giuseppe, near Monforte d’Alba. In the 1920s, they were considered one of the first producers to have bottled Barolo at a time when Barolo was sold in casks and in demi-johns. In the 1930s, the winery started making Barolo Monfortino which had a vast ageing potential. In 1954, the winery went on to produce a Barolo and a Barolo Riserva and in 1961 the two sons Giovanni and Aldo took over the family business. Aldo, however, did not share the house’s purely traditionalist philosophy and in 1969 he created his own estate (Poderi Aldo Conterno). In 1974 with the purchase of the Cascina Francia vineyard, the winery put an end to the outsourcing of grapes and in 1980 the first vintage from their own grapes was produced under the name Barolo Cascina Francia. Today, the ultimate and purest expression of Barolo can be found in the bottles bearing Giacomo Conterno’s name. These wines are rich, powerful, well-structured and capable of long ageing in bottle.