Giacomo Conterno
The Conterno name dominates Monforte d’Alba - with Aldo Conterno, Claudio Conterno, Paolo Conterno, Diego Conterno and Franco Conterno all producing exceptional wines. But in international recognition, the name Giacomo Conterno is first among equals. The winery was established in 1900 and today retains a traditional approach to their 17ha in Serralunga and Monforte.
It is rare for a single producer to command such respect not only from lovers of the “King of Italian Wine”, but also from its peers, Giacomo Conterno is a bastion of traditional Barolo having been passed down through the years to Roberto Conterno, the third generation to be at the helm of his stunning family estate.
A winemaker of uncommon talent, Roberto’s official ascension to the throne in 2003 merely followed a period of many years during which he was head vigneron, presiding over an elevation in the wines’ quality, marked by both huge critical scores and fervent demand. From their vineyards in Serralunga, the Conterno family has been crafting incredibly elegant and high-toned Barolo for decades.
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Prices:
| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Piedmont | 1 | 95 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£652.01 |
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Wine Advocate (95)Introducing the 2015 Barolo Arione. This is the first vintage produced of the newest wine to join the extended and ever-evolving Conterno portfolio. Only three oak casks were produced: the one I tasted from to write this review, one that was auctioned off to charity and the third botte that ended up becoming part of the iconic Monfortino blend. That fruit from the recently acquired Arione vineyard would be deemed good enough to end up in Monfortino tells a lot about how confident Roberto Conterno is in this product. From a tasting point of view, this wine is characterized by richness and density, with a polished mineral note that never hides from view. The richness of the soils in this vineyard correspond to the density and structure of the wine. Most of the vineyard was planted in the 1960s with some replants throughout the 1980s and 1990s. If Francia is elegance, Arione is power. |
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Piedmont | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£624.49 |
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Piedmont | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£616.01 |
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Piedmont | 5 | 96 (DC) |
Inc. VAT
£624.49 |
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Decanter (96)With young soils and steep hills, the importance of Arione is easily understood. The southern exposure helped the quality in this vintage and the wine shows a restrained red currant fruit aroma with graceful cinnamon, sweet violet and watermelon, allied to an anise, almost herbal, whiff. Full, refreshing and very elegant yet not without a firm structure, it features an extracted chalky finish. It will age quite well for a 2018. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 98+ (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£971.21 |
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Vinous (98+)The 2010 Barolo Francia is an exotic, beguiling beauty. Lavender, sage, menthol, tobacco and dried rose petals are some of the notes that open up in the glass. Constantly changing in the glass, the 2010 is utterly captivating. The combination of super-expressive aromatics, pliant fruit and pulsating tannins is something to behold. It will be many years before the 2010 is ready to deliver the goods, but it is already utterly captivating from the very first taste. Readers should note that, because of new vineyard regulations, the Cascina Francia is now known simply as Francia. In 2010, the corks had already been printed by the time that decision was made, so the corks on the 2010 read 'Cascina Francia.' |
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Piedmont | 5 | 97 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£653.29 |
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Wine Advocate (97)I tasted the Giacomo Conterno 2017 Barolo Francia shortly before bottling. Like Roberto Conterno's other wines from this controversial vintage, this wine shines with brilliant and unexpected purity and intensity that is harder to find in its peers. It shows a deep understanding of the potential of a warm growing season, and the Nebbiolo is supple, velvety and uncharacteristically exuberant (for a grape whose elegance starts famously with understatement). Francia in Serralunga d'Alba evokes power and profound depth, with black and purple fruit highlights, rusty nail, crème de cassis, grilled rosemary and reddish rock or baked terracotta. The wine carries its considerable fruit weight with grace, and at the end of the day, it offers a complete portrait of vintage, variety and vintner. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 96-98 (WI) |
Inc. VAT
£578.89 |
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The Wine Independent (96-98)The 2018 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia is very densely concentrated with fine tannins but it is not revealing much yet as it is so young. When tasted in May 2022 it was due to be bottled the following month. It is deep ruby in color with perfumed violet and freesia aromas on the nose, with oak spice notes. The tannins are firm but beautifully refined as you would expect from this producer. At the moment, the wine is like a beautiful statue, immaculately carved and pristine but not revealing very much. Roberto Conterno felt this wine needed 18 months before approaching and that it will last for 40 years. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 97 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£638.81 |
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James Suckling (97)Perfumed aromas of grape skin and roses. Medium to full body, super classic and refined. Incredible finesse and length. It is so fine and gorgeous. Makes you want to drink it. Better in 2020 but so beautiful now. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 97+ (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£630.41 |
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Vinous (97+)Just as it was from barrel, the 2014 Barolo Cerretta is a total stunner. Gracious, perfumed and light on its feet, the Cerretta has so much to say. Time in the glass just serves to bring out the wine's striking inner perfume, natural depth and crystalline intensity. Despite its relatively recent bottling, the 2014 is super-expressive, with tons of detail and a finish that goes on forever. The 2014 Cerretta has a lot to offer, although today the wine's aromatic depth and silkiness are especially alluring. |
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Piedmont | 2 | 95 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£653.29 |
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Vinous (95)Conterno's 2017 Barolo Cerretta offers a classic expression of this Serralunga site. The tannins are just a bit nervy today, which lends a feeling of energy and brightness that is palpable. Bright floral and white pepper accents lift bright red-toned fruit in a Barolo that is wonderfully translucent and nuanced. |
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Piedmont | 4 | 95-97 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£624.49 |
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Wine Advocate (95-97)Tasted from barrel, the Giacomo Conterno 2018 Barolo Cerretta is shaping up to be a beauty. What stands out most at this very young stage is the quality and the elegant tightness of the tannins. Cerretta fruit from Serralunga d'Alba makes for powerful, structured and concentrated Nebbiolo that is delivered with naked clarity and outstanding purity. These qualities are clearly linked to the vineyard site and less to the conservative efforts executed at the winery. You taste the crunch or the nervous quality of the grape skins and pulp with dark and purple berry nuances and rusty or mineral overtones that hint at the more significant presence of clay in these soils. |
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|
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Piedmont | 3 | 95 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£850.09 |
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Vinous (95)The 2019 Barolo Cerretta is positively stellar. Remarkably harmonious for a bottled, young Conterno Barolo, the Cerretta is sublime. It's as if the tannins are totally wrapped into the fruit. The tannins are present, but also not there. Bright cherry, red plum, cinnamon and blood orange all race across the palate. The luxuriousness of the fruit is so captivating. In 2019, the Cerretta is a Barolo of pure and total seduction. I don't think I have ever tasted anything like it here. Best of all, the 2019 will drink well with minimal cellaring. It is already irresistibly delicious. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 99 (VN (AG)) |
Inc. VAT
£3,060.41 |
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Vinous - Antonio Galloni (99)Can you believe Conterno’s 2001 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is next? Neither can I. What a wine. Sweet, perfumed and also massively endowed in every dimension, the 2001 Monfortino is another wine that pushes all the right buttons. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 98 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£2,659.61 |
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James Suckling (98)Incredibly polished Monfortino. The tannins caress your palate. Aromas of marzipan and dark fruits with orange peel and cedar. Dried fruits. Extremely floral as well. Full-bodied, with super fine tannins and a great elegance. You can drink now but will age for ages. Hard to believe it spent almost eight years in cask. Out in October. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 99 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£2,702.89 |
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Vinous (99)The 2008 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is one of my favorite recent vintages. It is the product of an exceptionally long and cool growing year marked by a highly unusual cold snap at the very end of the season. Those conditions yielded a Monfortino that is pure silkiness and sensuality, with striking aromatic presence and exceptional balance. There is an exoticism to the 2008 that is impossible to miss, while the impression is of tannins that are virtually non-existent. The 2008 was such a complete wine right from the outset that Roberto Conterno decided to bottle it with six years in cask as opposed to the more typical seven. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 99.0 |
Inc. VAT
£1,686.41 |
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Piedmont | 1 | 100 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£2,371.61 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (100)The Giacomo Conterno 2014 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is made with 100% fruit from the Francia cru, which is not the case for the 2015 vintage (that sees 22% Arione in the blend) or likely future vintages. In a sense, this 100-point wine represents a milestone or a chapter finale in the long and exciting trajectory of Italy's collected and revered Monfortino. I've had the great fortune of tasting this wine from barrel over the course of four years and twice again this summer during my visits to the Conterno estates (in Gattinara and in Monforte d'Alba). |
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|
|
Piedmont | 3 | 99 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£2,591.21 |
|||||
Vinous (99)The 2015 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is magical. This is the first vintage that includes fruit from Arione, so the 2015 is 80% Francia and 20% Arione. That marks a return to Monfortino as a multi-vineyard wine, which it mostly was until 1978, when the first Monfortino from Francia was made. The combination of sites works so well. I remember tasting the 2015 as separate components and seeing what exactly the Arione piece adds, and that is aromatic explosiveness, texture and breadth. Rose petal, mint, sage, tobacco and cedar lend complexity. More than anything else, though, I am blown away by how utterly delicious the 2015 is. Of course, the 2015 will be better in time, but its pedigree is plainly evident today. Roberto Conterno gave the 2015 just five years in cask, the shortest time in wood for any Monfortino in recent memory, maybe ever. Like most producers around the world, Conterno is thinking deeply about what the optimal period of time in oak is. As for the 2015, it is a flat-out stunner in every way. |
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| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 95 (WA) |
In Bond
£538.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (95)Introducing the 2015 Barolo Arione. This is the first vintage produced of the newest wine to join the extended and ever-evolving Conterno portfolio. Only three oak casks were produced: the one I tasted from to write this review, one that was auctioned off to charity and the third botte that ended up becoming part of the iconic Monfortino blend. That fruit from the recently acquired Arione vineyard would be deemed good enough to end up in Monfortino tells a lot about how confident Roberto Conterno is in this product. From a tasting point of view, this wine is characterized by richness and density, with a polished mineral note that never hides from view. The richness of the soils in this vineyard correspond to the density and structure of the wine. Most of the vineyard was planted in the 1960s with some replants throughout the 1980s and 1990s. If Francia is elegance, Arione is power. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | - |
In Bond
£514.00 |
|||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | - |
In Bond
£508.00 |
|||||
|
|
Piedmont | 5 | 96 (DC) |
In Bond
£514.00 |
|||||
Decanter (96)With young soils and steep hills, the importance of Arione is easily understood. The southern exposure helped the quality in this vintage and the wine shows a restrained red currant fruit aroma with graceful cinnamon, sweet violet and watermelon, allied to an anise, almost herbal, whiff. Full, refreshing and very elegant yet not without a firm structure, it features an extracted chalky finish. It will age quite well for a 2018. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 98+ (VN) |
In Bond
£804.00 |
|||||
Vinous (98+)The 2010 Barolo Francia is an exotic, beguiling beauty. Lavender, sage, menthol, tobacco and dried rose petals are some of the notes that open up in the glass. Constantly changing in the glass, the 2010 is utterly captivating. The combination of super-expressive aromatics, pliant fruit and pulsating tannins is something to behold. It will be many years before the 2010 is ready to deliver the goods, but it is already utterly captivating from the very first taste. Readers should note that, because of new vineyard regulations, the Cascina Francia is now known simply as Francia. In 2010, the corks had already been printed by the time that decision was made, so the corks on the 2010 read 'Cascina Francia.' |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 5 | 97 (WA) |
In Bond
£538.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (97)I tasted the Giacomo Conterno 2017 Barolo Francia shortly before bottling. Like Roberto Conterno's other wines from this controversial vintage, this wine shines with brilliant and unexpected purity and intensity that is harder to find in its peers. It shows a deep understanding of the potential of a warm growing season, and the Nebbiolo is supple, velvety and uncharacteristically exuberant (for a grape whose elegance starts famously with understatement). Francia in Serralunga d'Alba evokes power and profound depth, with black and purple fruit highlights, rusty nail, crème de cassis, grilled rosemary and reddish rock or baked terracotta. The wine carries its considerable fruit weight with grace, and at the end of the day, it offers a complete portrait of vintage, variety and vintner. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 96-98 (WI) |
In Bond
£476.00 |
|||||
The Wine Independent (96-98)The 2018 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia is very densely concentrated with fine tannins but it is not revealing much yet as it is so young. When tasted in May 2022 it was due to be bottled the following month. It is deep ruby in color with perfumed violet and freesia aromas on the nose, with oak spice notes. The tannins are firm but beautifully refined as you would expect from this producer. At the moment, the wine is like a beautiful statue, immaculately carved and pristine but not revealing very much. Roberto Conterno felt this wine needed 18 months before approaching and that it will last for 40 years. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 97 (JS) |
In Bond
£527.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (97)Perfumed aromas of grape skin and roses. Medium to full body, super classic and refined. Incredible finesse and length. It is so fine and gorgeous. Makes you want to drink it. Better in 2020 but so beautiful now. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 97+ (VN) |
In Bond
£520.00 |
|||||
Vinous (97+)Just as it was from barrel, the 2014 Barolo Cerretta is a total stunner. Gracious, perfumed and light on its feet, the Cerretta has so much to say. Time in the glass just serves to bring out the wine's striking inner perfume, natural depth and crystalline intensity. Despite its relatively recent bottling, the 2014 is super-expressive, with tons of detail and a finish that goes on forever. The 2014 Cerretta has a lot to offer, although today the wine's aromatic depth and silkiness are especially alluring. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 2 | 95 (VN) |
In Bond
£538.00 |
|||||
Vinous (95)Conterno's 2017 Barolo Cerretta offers a classic expression of this Serralunga site. The tannins are just a bit nervy today, which lends a feeling of energy and brightness that is palpable. Bright floral and white pepper accents lift bright red-toned fruit in a Barolo that is wonderfully translucent and nuanced. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 4 | 95-97 (WA) |
In Bond
£514.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (95-97)Tasted from barrel, the Giacomo Conterno 2018 Barolo Cerretta is shaping up to be a beauty. What stands out most at this very young stage is the quality and the elegant tightness of the tannins. Cerretta fruit from Serralunga d'Alba makes for powerful, structured and concentrated Nebbiolo that is delivered with naked clarity and outstanding purity. These qualities are clearly linked to the vineyard site and less to the conservative efforts executed at the winery. You taste the crunch or the nervous quality of the grape skins and pulp with dark and purple berry nuances and rusty or mineral overtones that hint at the more significant presence of clay in these soils. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 3 | 95 (VN) |
In Bond
£702.00 |
|||||
Vinous (95)The 2019 Barolo Cerretta is positively stellar. Remarkably harmonious for a bottled, young Conterno Barolo, the Cerretta is sublime. It's as if the tannins are totally wrapped into the fruit. The tannins are present, but also not there. Bright cherry, red plum, cinnamon and blood orange all race across the palate. The luxuriousness of the fruit is so captivating. In 2019, the Cerretta is a Barolo of pure and total seduction. I don't think I have ever tasted anything like it here. Best of all, the 2019 will drink well with minimal cellaring. It is already irresistibly delicious. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 99 (VN (AG)) |
In Bond
£2,545.00 |
|||||
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (99)Can you believe Conterno’s 2001 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is next? Neither can I. What a wine. Sweet, perfumed and also massively endowed in every dimension, the 2001 Monfortino is another wine that pushes all the right buttons. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 98 (JS) |
In Bond
£2,211.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (98)Incredibly polished Monfortino. The tannins caress your palate. Aromas of marzipan and dark fruits with orange peel and cedar. Dried fruits. Extremely floral as well. Full-bodied, with super fine tannins and a great elegance. You can drink now but will age for ages. Hard to believe it spent almost eight years in cask. Out in October. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 99 (VN) |
In Bond
£2,246.00 |
|||||
Vinous (99)The 2008 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is one of my favorite recent vintages. It is the product of an exceptionally long and cool growing year marked by a highly unusual cold snap at the very end of the season. Those conditions yielded a Monfortino that is pure silkiness and sensuality, with striking aromatic presence and exceptional balance. There is an exoticism to the 2008 that is impossible to miss, while the impression is of tannins that are virtually non-existent. The 2008 was such a complete wine right from the outset that Roberto Conterno decided to bottle it with six years in cask as opposed to the more typical seven. |
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|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 99.0 |
In Bond
£1,400.00 |
|||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 100 (WA) |
In Bond
£1,971.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (100)The Giacomo Conterno 2014 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is made with 100% fruit from the Francia cru, which is not the case for the 2015 vintage (that sees 22% Arione in the blend) or likely future vintages. In a sense, this 100-point wine represents a milestone or a chapter finale in the long and exciting trajectory of Italy's collected and revered Monfortino. I've had the great fortune of tasting this wine from barrel over the course of four years and twice again this summer during my visits to the Conterno estates (in Gattinara and in Monforte d'Alba). |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 3 | 99 (VN) |
In Bond
£2,154.00 |
|||||
Vinous (99)The 2015 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is magical. This is the first vintage that includes fruit from Arione, so the 2015 is 80% Francia and 20% Arione. That marks a return to Monfortino as a multi-vineyard wine, which it mostly was until 1978, when the first Monfortino from Francia was made. The combination of sites works so well. I remember tasting the 2015 as separate components and seeing what exactly the Arione piece adds, and that is aromatic explosiveness, texture and breadth. Rose petal, mint, sage, tobacco and cedar lend complexity. More than anything else, though, I am blown away by how utterly delicious the 2015 is. Of course, the 2015 will be better in time, but its pedigree is plainly evident today. Roberto Conterno gave the 2015 just five years in cask, the shortest time in wood for any Monfortino in recent memory, maybe ever. Like most producers around the world, Conterno is thinking deeply about what the optimal period of time in oak is. As for the 2015, it is a flat-out stunner in every way. |
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