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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Piedmont | 1 | 94 (VN) | HK$3,300.00 | |||||
Vinous (94)The 2018 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Cerretta is so elegant and refined in this vintage. The 2018 is lithe and precise, with lovely red berry, floral and blood orange flavors that are woven together into a fabric of total class. The long, silky finish is a thing of beauty. With a bit of time, the Cerretta starts to show its trademark pliancy. I would give it a few years in bottle. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 94 (VN) | HK$3,695.00 | |||||
Vinous (94)The 2022 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Cerretta is superb. Dark, ample and expressive, the 2022 is irresistible. Succulent black cherry, lavender, menthol, licorice, hard candy and new leather fill out the layers. This really blossoms nicely in the glass, showing the best this tricky vintage had to offer. |
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Piedmont | 2 | 94 (VN) | HK$900.00 | |||||
Vinous (94)The 2012 Barbera d'Alba Cascina Francia stands out for its exceptional finesse and delicacy. Sweet rose petals, mint, cinnamon and red berries are all laced together in a soft, polished Barbera long on class and finesse. Perfumed notes continues to open up in the glass, while brighter, more saline-inflected notes give the wine its sense of energy and tension. This is a magnificent showing. Ideally, readers will be able to give the 2012 at least another year or two in bottle. |
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Piedmont | 3 | 93 (VN) | HK$1,120.00 | |||||
Vinous (93)Conterno's 2017 Barbera d'Alba Francia is super-expressive and explosive, with soaring perfume and deep, plush fruit. Lavender, mint, spice and a core of inky, plush fruit all develop in the glass. In tasting, the Francia has a vertical lift to it that is compelling. The 2017 has tremendous aromatic and structural intensity that will start to blossom in another few years' time. |
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Piedmont | 3 | 94 (VN) | HK$2,980.00 | |||||
Vinous (94)The 2018 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia is an explosion of floral, savory and mineral notes. Like the Cerretta, the Francia Barbera is quite delicate in this vintage. It has a bit darker fruit, stronger savory undertones and a touch more depth. It is a beguiling, beautifully layered wine that unfolds graciously over time. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 94 (VN) | HK$2,790.00 | |||||
Vinous (94)The 2018 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia is an explosion of floral, savory and mineral notes. Like the Cerretta, the Francia Barbera is quite delicate in this vintage. It has a bit darker fruit, stronger savory undertones and a touch more depth. It is a beguiling, beautifully layered wine that unfolds graciously over time. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 95 (VN) | HK$3,355.00 | |||||
Vinous (95)The 2020 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia is fabulous. Rich and expansive, with tremendous presence, the 2020 is positively stellar. Super-ripe dark cherry, lavender, spice and pomegranate all gain volume and intensity with time in the glass. The 2020 is one of the finest recent editions of the Francia Barbera I can remember tasting. Today, it's explosive, heady personality is impossible to resist. |
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Piedmont | 4 | 95 (VN) | HK$3,750.00 | |||||
Vinous (95)Rich and explosive from the get-go, all the elements of the 2021 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia are massively dialed up. Black cherry, plum, incense, licorice, mocha and sage all rush from the glass. Dynamic and vibrant to the core, the 2021 is seriously impressive. |
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Piedmont | 7 | 95 (VN) | HK$3,030.00 | |||||
Vinous (95)Rich and explosive from the get-go, all the elements of the 2021 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia are massively dialed up. Black cherry, plum, incense, licorice, mocha and sage all rush from the glass. Dynamic and vibrant to the core, the 2021 is seriously impressive. |
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Piedmont | 3 | 93 (WA) | HK$2,935.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (93)Barbera does not mind a hot vintage, and from that we can extrapolate that this variety has the most latitude when it comes to climate change. However, it is also vulnerable to Esca disease, and this is a big concern for vintner Roberto Conterno and the winemaking community at large. The 2022 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia sees fruit mostly from the lower part of this celebrated site, with vines planted in 1974. Various stages of vine replacement have occurred over the years, and the team is now deciding to start more comprehensive replanting efforts. "Things have gotten worse in the last three years," he says. The Francia vineyard has calcareous soils at the top with sandy and blue marl below. That layer is almost as hard as cement, he says, and it starts to break apart in areas closer to the surface. The soils between upper and lower Francia (with Nebbiolo and Barbera, respectively) don't change too much. This is a beautiful wine with lingering aromas of dark fruit, sous-bois, potting soil and wet iron. The wine's fruit profile grows with time in the glass, giving black cherry intensity. With an ample 15.5% alcohol content, it offers a very richly developed mouthfeel with extra textural heft. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 95 (WA) | HK$4,275.00 | |||||
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. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 95 (WA) | HK$9,780.00 | |||||
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. |
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Piedmont | 1 | - | HK$3,505.00 | |||||
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Piedmont | 1 | - | HK$9,455.00 | |||||
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Piedmont | 2 | - | HK$3,380.00 | |||||
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Piedmont | 1 | - | HK$8,030.00 | |||||
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Piedmont | 2 | - | HK$9,665.00 | |||||
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Piedmont | 3 | 96 (DC) | HK$3,400.00 | |||||
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. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 96 (DC) | HK$7,440.00 | |||||
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. |
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Piedmont | 2 | 96 (DC) | HK$8,655.00 | |||||
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. |
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Piedmont | 3 | 96 (WA) | HK$3,705.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (96)The Giacomo Conterno 2020 Barolo Arione strikes on the darker and more saturated side of the Nebbiolo spectrum. This vineyard site in Serralunga d'Alba reveals dark fruit and scorched earth, but those baritone aromas are given lift by a brilliant pop of sweet red cherry. The 2020 vintage is actually less intense and concentrated compared to past releases, and you can count on this wine for a special touch of elegance. It closes with a silky and very precise sense of structure. Winemaking is the same for most of the estate wines. The Arione saw three weeks of skin maceration with submerged cap, a few punch-downs, pump-overs and délestage. Cap management has been the same at this estate for 20 or 30 years. The results offer pretty fruit succulence with impressively glossy tannins. |
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Piedmont | 2 | 96 (WA) | HK$9,760.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (96)The Giacomo Conterno 2020 Barolo Arione strikes on the darker and more saturated side of the Nebbiolo spectrum. This vineyard site in Serralunga d'Alba reveals dark fruit and scorched earth, but those baritone aromas are given lift by a brilliant pop of sweet red cherry. The 2020 vintage is actually less intense and concentrated compared to past releases, and you can count on this wine for a special touch of elegance. It closes with a silky and very precise sense of structure. Winemaking is the same for most of the estate wines. The Arione saw three weeks of skin maceration with submerged cap, a few punch-downs, pump-overs and délestage. Cap management has been the same at this estate for 20 or 30 years. The results offer pretty fruit succulence with impressively glossy tannins. |
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Piedmont | 1 | 96 (WA) | HK$10,480.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (96)The Giacomo Conterno 2020 Barolo Arione strikes on the darker and more saturated side of the Nebbiolo spectrum. This vineyard site in Serralunga d'Alba reveals dark fruit and scorched earth, but those baritone aromas are given lift by a brilliant pop of sweet red cherry. The 2020 vintage is actually less intense and concentrated compared to past releases, and you can count on this wine for a special touch of elegance. It closes with a silky and very precise sense of structure. Winemaking is the same for most of the estate wines. The Arione saw three weeks of skin maceration with submerged cap, a few punch-downs, pump-overs and délestage. Cap management has been the same at this estate for 20 or 30 years. The results offer pretty fruit succulence with impressively glossy tannins. |
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Piedmont | 4 | 97+ (VN) | HK$11,700.00 | |||||
Vinous (97+)The 2021 Barolo Arione is a wine of exquisite finesse and elegance. The bouquet alone is immediately arresting. Then again, that is such an Arione signature. Sage, rose petal, mint, orange peel and dried flowers begin to emerge over time. Nearly seamless tannins and exceptional balance add to its total allure, while strong floral and savory accents punctuate the finish. |
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