Legendary, mythic, iconic… the superlatives abound! For 45 years, until his death in 2004, Giovanni Conterno forged a reputation as the greatest of all Barolo producers, irrespective of style. His wines were the quintessence of traditional Barolo: rich, powerful, massively structured, and capable of long development in bottle. Possibly Giovanni’s greatest legacy was to hand over his important work to his gifted son Roberto. A brilliant winemaker in his own right, Roberto not only shares his father’s vision but is equally determined to continue the important work of three generations of Conternos, creating strictly traditional and globally renowned wines that are acknowledged to be the very purest expression of Barolo. He could have followed other young Piedmont winemakers into a modern winemaking style, but he never did. In his words, the wines of Conterno will always belong to the generations that came before him. Conterno’s crown jewel is the cuvée Monfortino Riserva, the very first Barolo made in what has come to be known as the classic style. Many consider it as the most important wine in Italy, if not one of the most prestigious wines in the world. Produced only in the best vintages, coming from the top selection of grapes, Monfortino Riserva is the product of wild temperature swings during fermentation and 6 to 8 years in barrel, winemaking techniques that foster the most perfect expression of the Nebbiolo grape. An iAn international reference point for performance on the secondary market of fine wines In an in-depth study focusing on the leading wines and producers of Piedmont published in 2020 by Wine Lister, Giacomo Conterno takes both first and second places in the ranking of Barolos, and its iconic Monfortino Riserva is the only Piedmont wine to earn a score of 97. The Monfortino Riserva 2013, then the most recent vintage available from the producer, topped the Live-Ex list of the most traded wines by value in the first quarter of 2020. It came ahead of the likes of Tignanello 2016, Mouton Rothschild 2000 and Dom Perignon 2008, clearly pointing to the market’s growing appreciation of Piedmont’s finest. Over the past two years, the Monfortino index (up 14.1%) has outperformed both the Italy 100 and the Piedmont. VintageCellar has secured an allocation of the following two critically acclaimed vintages of Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva. With a confidential production of less than 600 cases, you can expect to pay for it! Monfortino Riserva was not produced in 2011 and 2012, meaning that the 2013 vintage follows directly after the absolutely stunning 2010 which earned a perfect 100-point score. The two vintages, 2010 and 2013, are vividly very similar, but the 2013 registers at a slightly lower structural threshold. Crystalline and precise, it displays floral notes of rosehip and violets, red fruits, dried leaves and underbrush. The palate is marked by serious fruit intensity and a backbone of firm, classically austere tannins. All the elements are perfectly in balance with an incredibly neverending finish. Patience will be rewarded: 2025-2050.

Rated 99 points by Vinous and James Suckling, and 98 points by Wine Advocate

1 x 75CL 1,055€ HT

Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva 2014 When it comes to comparisons of any kind, all bets are off with the 2014 Monfortino Riserva, a Barolo that enters the stratosphere of profound and utterly moving beauty. Perfumed, complex and long, it is even a little more refined than the 2013 vintage. In 2014, Roberto Conterno waited to harvest the fruit very late. The result is a Barolo that offers the textural opulence of fruit picked at the end of the season, with the aromatic depth and structure of a wine from a cool year. The dark fruit richness is perfectly measured to the wine’s structural backbone, and that relationship between fruit and tannin is ultimately what gives this wine such a precise sense of balance. Drink window 2025-2065.

Rated 100 points by Vinous, 98 points by Wine Advocate, and 19/20 by Jancis Robinson

1 x 75CL 1,055€ HT

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