Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 2014 750ml

Tasted from barrel, with about one year to go before it will be bottled, the 2014 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is shaping up to be a true icon. From an analytical point of view, this vintage records slightly higher tannins (compared to 2013), and this is something winemaker Roberto Conterno looks to with attention, especially because his entire philosophy and methodology prizes longevity. What I find most interesting here is the sheer density and plumpness of the fruit that defies our expectations of this cooler vintage. That dark fruit richness is perfectly measured to the wine’s structural backbone. That relationship between fruit and tannin is ultimately what gives this wine such a precise sense of balance. I will be able to give a final score to this wine in one year’s time.

• 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.