Wine Advisor
Aldo Conterno, Barolo Colonnello Bussia 1997
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The full-bodied, dark garnet-colored 1997 Barolo Colonnello displays licorice, spice, box, and kirsch liqueur characteristics as well as noticeable acidity. As the wine sits in the glass, aromas of soy, herbs, and incense emerge. It is a tightly-framed, full-bodied, powerful yet close-to-the-vest offering. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2018. Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This wine is freakishly fat, ripe, and extremely high in tannin. It is a bizarre vintage, but give me this kind of eccentricity every year and I would be set for life. The 1997 Barolo Colonnello offers up a raspberry/cherry jam-scented nose, huge, fat, full-bodied flavors, low acidity, and mind-boggling levels of glycerin, extract, tannin, and alcohol. Huge, immense, and eccentric by classic Barolo standards, this wine pushes the Nebbiolo characteristics to extreme levels of ripeness and richness. An unreal style of wine, it will become more classic as it ages. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2025. Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200
About the Producer
Aldo Conterno bought the "Favot" estate and founded the "Poderi Aldo Conterno" winery in 1969, which is situated in Bussia of Monforte d'Alba - the heart of Barolo wine area. Five generations of people who devoted their lives to wine have instilled in their souls a deep respect for the identity of their territory and a firm characterization of the products. What they want to offer is simply the interpretation of a terroir through their deep rooted beliefs. “Our wines never look for inconditional approval and our personality is not prone to easy compromise.” The Family has always had a relationship of perfect symbiosis with these cru, trying to enhance all their most peculiar characteristics through a wise and hard work in the vineyard. With the passing of the years they have been able to create a real microcosm which sinks its essence in the subtle balance offered by nature. The wine of these cru gives itself with firm determination by playing on the most classical elements of the Nebbiolo vine and its spicy notes give a crystal idea of the uniqueness of this soil. The interpretation of a territory goes along with the perfect knowledge of its components; that circumstance can become true only after a long and careful study of the components. All this has always been within their intentions, enabling us to find out the fundamental connections which, thanks to the hard work in the vineyard, are the basis of the unmistakable identity of our Barolo wines.
