Wine Advisor
Giacomo Conterno, Barolo Riserva Monfortino 1998
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
1998 G. Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino—Dark red. By contrast the current Monfortino release is obviously much more youthful and fresh. It offers a captivating, highly nuanced nose of roses, tar, licorice and minerals, along with plenty of sweet dark fruit on the palate, in an expansive and profoundly expressive counterpoint of flavors and sensations. While still in its infancy, it is nonetheless a great pleasure to catch this wine at this unusually open stage of its life. It will be fascinating to watch it evolve over the following years and decades. 97/drink after 2013, 01/06
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
For academic reasons I have included this review simply because I love these old style wines. Who can't admire a producer who won't even release this wine until 2006-2007? Since we will not see this wine for nearly a decade, I will keep my tasting notes brief. Tasted from a gigantic foudre (where the entire Monfortino cuvee is sitting), it is a ruby-colored wine with a forward, evolved style (typical of the 1998 vintage), and a sweet bouquet of rose water, tar, truffles, minerals, and cherry fruit. Full-bodied, but beautifully balanced, it is delicious enough to drink now, although that would be considered heresy in these cellars. Let's hope the style at this winery never changes as it produces the quintessential traditional Barolo (along with those of Bruno Giacosa and a handful of other Piedmontese producers). In a world where immediate gratification is often the holy grail, the reality is that most consumers will not wait ten years for the wine to be released, and another ten years for it to hit its peak of maturity. For the few that do, the rewards are immeasurable. The wines produced by Giovanni Conterno are monuments to Nebbiolo as well as to the glory of Piedmont. Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
1998 Barolo Riserva Monfortino—Dark red. The 1998 Monfortino is a monumental effort. It opens with a huge nose of licorice, roses and cocoa, then flows onto the palate with masses of sweet concentrated dark fruit that go on forever. Notes of mineral and leather gradually develop in the glass, adding further complexity as this great wine begins to reveal its expansive and profound personality. The 1998 is unusually open right now. As was the case with the 1997 at this stage, it should offer a brief drinking window over the next 6-9 months before shutting down for what is likely to be an extended period prior to awakening in the glorious prime of its life. 97/drink after 2013, 11/05 I have been following Conterno’s new releases for the last two years, so it was great to finally taste them in finished form. They are, amazingly, even better from bottle than they were from cask. Conterno’s 2001 Cascina Francia is the best young Cascina Francia I have ever tasted. Simply put, these are reference-point wines for the region that no one who loves Barolo will want to be without. The only problem consumers are likely to face is one of allocation of resources, as Conterno has a range of exceptional wines from recent vintages on the market today. While not inexpensive, the quality of these wines is extraordinary, and I can’t recommend them highly enough. I also include notes on some older wines I tasted during my visit to Piedmont in November 2005.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
1998 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino (from barrel)—Outrageous nose of roses and tar give way to a decadent palate of rich sweet fruit, and an exquisitely long finish. The most complete of the Monfortinos I tasted on this day, this is an unforgettable wine. (94-96) points, 12/04
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
1998 Barolo Riserva Monfortino (from cask)—Rich medium ruby. Intense nose of flowers, roses, tar, spices. Unreal and utterly decadent flavors of concentrated dark cherry fruit, licorice, and minerals, with superb length and persistence. How does one walk away from a cask like this? Although the 1998 is more complex than the recently released 1997, it also appears to be a Monfortino that will be accessible fairly young. To be bottled summer 2005. (94-96) points, tasted 05/05 A quick visit to this estate, which I profiled in depth in Issue 2, provided an opportunity to get a progress report on several wines prior to their imminent bottling this summer, as well as to taste a few older releases from the bottle. For more on the wines of Giacomo Conterno, see page 48.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1998 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a monumental effort. A deep dark red, it opens with a huge nose of licorice, roses and cocoa, then flows onto the palate with masses of sweet, concentrated dark fruit that go on forever. Notes of mineral and leather gradually develop in the glass, adding further complexity as this great wine begins to reveal its expansive and profound personality. The 1998 is unusually open right now. As was the case with the 1997 at this stage, it should offer a brief drinking window over the next 6 months or so before shutting down for what is likely to be an extended period prior to awakening in the glorious prime of its life. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2023. Importers: Doug Polaner, Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404 and The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1998 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is still young, especially from magnum, but it is a wine that I am enjoying more of late. It really needed a number of years, although it remains raw and not fully complete just yet. Burly, powerful and tannic, the 1998 reminds me a bit of the 1995 in that it is a Monfortino that still needs bottle age to be at its most expressive.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
In this flight, the 1998 Monfortino is a bit penalized. Initially I thought it was a bit oxidized and/or over-ripe, but the wine just needed time to open up. By the end of the evening the fruit is really popping in a generous, beautifully resonant expression of Monfortino. In any other setting, the 1998 would have been the wine of the night. In this tasting, it is merely exceptional. Ironically, one of the wines I thought needed the least air needed the most. Tasted from magnum.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 1998 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a monumental effort. A deep dark red, it opens with a huge nose of licorice, roses and cocoa, then flows onto the palate with masses of sweet concentrated dark fruit that go on forever. Notes of mineral and leather gradually develop in the glass, adding further complexity as this great wine begins to reveal its expansive and profound personality. The 1998 is unusually open right now. As was the case with the 1997 at this stage, it should offer a brief drinking window over the next 6 months or so before shutting down for what is likely to be an extended period prior to awakening in the glorious prime of its life.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Dark red. By contrast the current Monfortino release is obviously much more youthful and fresh. It offers a captivating, highly nuanced nose of roses, tar, licorice and minerals, along with plenty of sweet dark fruit on the palate, in an expansive and profoundly expressive counterpoint of flavors and sensations. While still in its infancy, it is nonetheless a great pleasure to catch this wine at this unusually open stage of its life. It will be fascinating to watch it evolve over the following years and decades.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Medium red-brick color. Enticing aromas of strawberry and underbrush. Sweet, lush and perfumed, with sappy flavors of red berries, flowers and marzipan. Offers a compelling buttery, creamy tex ture and finishes very long, with fine, suave tannins. More elegant and easier to taste today than the 2000.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Medium red, with a hint of amber at the rim. Perfumed, highly complex nose features roasted red fruits, cherries, marzipan and underbrush. Fat, sweet and seamless; comes across as softer and less powerfully structured than the '99 Monfortino. Very broad, fine tannins coat the front teeth. It's hard to imagine that this will benefit from another three years of aging.
About the Producer
Roberto Conterno took full control over the running of this famous estate just outside Monforte d'Alba, Piedmont, in 2003, when his father Giovanni Conterno passed away. Giovanni was the oldest son of the winery founder, Giacomo Conterno, and initially worked alongside his brother, Aldo Conterno. In 1969 the two sibling winemakers parted ways to create their own styles of Barolo. Roberto continues to practice the traditional winemaking techniques of the area, producing long-lived, earthy wines. The focus has been strictly on nebbiolo and barbera since their freisa and dolcetto vines were grubbed up. Roberto also stresses the importance of organic viticulture especially in the early years of the vines' growth. The estate is most renowned for its great Barolos, Cascina Francia and Monfortino Riserva. The latter is produced only in the very best of vintages and aged at least 7 years in large oak 'botti'. This is regarded as one of the finest Barolos produced today and by many as the finest wine made from Nebbiolo in the world.
