Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia 2016

The ultimate and purest expression of Barolo can be found in bottles bearing the Giacomo Conterno name. In fact, they represent the ideal of traditional Barolo: rich, powerful, massively structured, and capable of long aging in bottle.

These majestic wines descend from a colossal legacy, spanning three generations of Conternos: Giacomo, Giovanni, and Roberto—in each case, the torch passing from father to son. Both Giovanni, who forged a reputation as the greatest of all Barolo producers, and now his gifted son, Roberto, have continued the important work of patriarch Giacomo.

The Conterno style of Barolo has always been ultra-traditional, with a long maceration followed by extended aging in large, oak casks (botti). In the old days, aging was anywhere from four to ten years prior to bottling, and often longer, sometimes with multiple bottlings from the same vintage. Today, the "regular" Barolos are aged for four years before bottling, and the Monfortino for six to seven years--the only "modernist" concession in the entire vinification and aging process.

Roberto Conterno is quick to say that the wines he makes belong to his father and grandfather. Yet his era may prove to be the most exciting. After all, Roberto benefits from the wisdom of both Giacomo and Giovanni. And Roberto has shown that he shares not only their genius, but also their devotion to tradition and history.

It is from the Cascina Francia vineyard that Conterno's flagship wine Monfortino comes. The Monfortino is produced only in the very best vintages, which is also expressed in a completely different price range. Luckily for the world, Cascina Francia is released in virtually all vintages and is described as the Monfortino's highly-competent sister.

Roberto has also sought to eliminate one of the biggest scourges that face the Fine Wine market today--corked bottles. Working closely with both cork manufacturers and cork machine producers, he has developed a system that marks each cork with an identifying code to follow its efficacy and provenance over time. In addition, with the help of a unique machine he can not only detect the most minute traces of cork taint, but also find any tiny deviations in the cork's structure that could affect its efficacy as a closure. While only time will tell whether this system is 100% perfect, the goal is that Giacomo Conterno will be the first winery ever to fully eliminate corked bottles. A revolutionary concept, indeed!

A truly exceptional vintage from a legendary producer. Salute!