Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cerretta 2016 750ml

I tasted the lovely Giacomo Conterno 2016 Barolo Cerretta in the context of a mini vertical that included 2017 and a barrel sample of 2018. Each of these wines is purely distinctive on its own, with 2018 showing structural power to the palate, 2017 offering high notes of red and purple fruits to the nose, and this 2016 showing an underlying radiance and brilliance that marries the intensity of the bouquet and the mouthfeel. The wine starts off a bit rigid and nervous, but that initial shyness is normal in the progression of a young Barolo from Cerretta in Serralunga d’Alba, especially at this five-year mark in its evolution. It opens gradually but completely to reveal wild berry fruit, blackcurrants, rusty nail and blood orange. These classic aromas follow to silky tannins, pretty freshness and long-lasting textural richness.

• Country: Italy
• Region: Piedmont
• Appellation: Barolo
• Size: 750ml
• Color: Red

Varietal

Nebbiolo

The Nebbiolo grape varietal is widely understood to be the fruit responsible for Italy’s finest aged wines. However, its popularity and reliability as a grape which gives out outstanding flavors and aromas has led it to be planted in many countries around the world, with much success. These purple grapes are distinguishable by the fact that they take on a milky dust as they begin to reach maturity, leading many to claim that this is the reason for their unusual name, which means ‘fog’ in Italian. Nebbiolo grapes produce wines which have a wide range of beautiful and fascinating flavors, the most common of which are rich, dark and complex, such as violet, truffle, tobacco and prunes. They are generally aged for many years to balance out their characteristics, as their natural tannin levels tend to be very high.