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Critics scores
100 By Robert Parker
99 By James Suckling
97 By Wine Spectator
The 2010 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a perfect wine and there are few things I am more sure of in this life. This is an extraordinary creation that bursts from the glass with a level of distinct intensity and elegance that is nothing short of breathtaking. The wine literally evokes an emotional and deeply visceral reaction thanks to the lasting impression it makes on your heart, mind and gut. This Barolo opens to a delicate garnet color that is brightened with crystalline luminosity. The bouquet offers an immediate curtain-raiser with chiseled aromas of wild berry, licorice, white truffle and tar. That explosive start is followed by a mounting crescendo of complexity and nuance. The wine is extremely silky and polished in terms of mouthfeel and this helps to underline its impressive persistence. Bravo!
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.