Italy · Piedmont

Giacomo Conterno

Giacomo Conterno is the great traditionalist of Piedmont wine — an estate in Monforte d'Alba whose Monfortino Riserva Barolo is considered by many critics the greatest Barolo ever made and one of the most consistently outstanding wines in Italy. Founded by Giacomo Conterno in 1920, the estate has been managed by three generations in succession, each maintaining the same philosophy: long maceration, long ageing in large Slavonian oak, and absolute refusal to compromise on style or yield. Giovanni Conterno (1940s–1970s) produced the legendary 1947, 1955, and 1961 vintages; Aldo Conterno (Giovanni's brother who left to found his own estate in 1969) and Giovanni's son Franco (who managed the estate until his death in 2012) maintained the tradition; Roberto Conterno, Franco's son, now runs the estate. Monfortino is the estate's flagship — produced only in years Roberto (and before him Franco) considers truly exceptional, from the finest old-vine Nebbiolo lots in the Cascina Francia vineyard in Serralunga d'Alba. The wine is aged 7 years in large Slavonian oak before release and requires another 10–20 years in bottle to fully open. Production is tiny — 5,000–8,000 bottles per year in declared vintages — and the wine is allocated primarily to long-standing accounts. The 1947, 1971, 1974, 1978, 1982, 2010, and 2013 are the legendary vintages. Cascina Francia, the estate's second label from the same Serralunga vineyard, is produced in every year and offers a more approachable entry to the Conterno style. Roberto Conterno also acquired the Cerretta vineyard in Serralunga in 2015, expanding the estate's single-vineyard holdings.