2016  

"Conterno’s 2016 Barolo Francia is effusive, with a real sense of expansiveness that gives the wine breadth. Sage, mint, cedar, tobacco and strong mineral accents complement a core of dark fruit in a Barolo of real gravitas. Just bottled a few months ago, the 2016 is going through a very rare period of approachability (in relative terms). It will almost certainly shut down within the next few months. Readers who are curious will want to taste it before that happens. In 2016, Roberto Conterno did not bottle his flagship Monfortino, all the casks were blended for the Barolo Francia." - 97pts Antonio Galloni

2014  3x750ml OWC

From Antonio Galloni at Vinous ---- "When it comes to comparisons of any kind, all bets are off with the 2014 Monfortino, a Barolo that enters the stratosphere of profound and utterly moving beauty. Seamless and elegant in the glass, with stunning aromatics and perfectly ripe tannins, the 2014 is simply breathtaking in its beauty. In 2014, Roberto Conterno waited to harvest this fruit very late. The result is a Barolo that offers the textural opulence of fruit picked at the end of the season with the aromatic depth and structure of a wine from a cool year. Most incredibly of all, the 2014 is a very tannic wine analytically, and yet the sensation is of a Barolo of softness and opulence. A rush of dark red/purplish berry fruit, blood orange, spice, tobacco and mint builds into the rapturous finish. Readers who can find the 2014 when it is released next year should not hesitate, as it will unquestionably go down as one of the greatest Monfortinos ever made." - 100pts Nov. 2019 ---- "The 2014 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is an epic wine, just as it always has been. Readers will surely be tempted to taste the 2014 now, but I would try to resist that, if possible. Usually, I recommend tasting young Monfortino upon release, when it has only been bottled for a few months and before it shuts down. Roberto Conterno gave the 2014 six years in cask (instead of seven), so the 2014 was bottled a year earlier, in the summer of 2019, which means it is now very much in the closed-down zone. Time in the glass brings out its inner sweetness and sensuality, but the 2014 is nowhere near as expressive today as it was from cask, or earlier this year when it was one of the highlights of a magnum vertical all the way back to 1970. The 2014 Monfortino is an epic, monumental wine in every way. Opening a bottle now, though, is not likely to be especially rewarding." - 100pts Oct. 2020

2010  Langhe Nebbiolo

Just what the world needs - early-drinking Nebbiolo! This is made in a full, friendly, modern style. Freshness and lightlly textured tannin keep it distinctly Italian. Although big and fruit-driven, bright acidity provides nice delineation to the fruit. This is sort of a teenager - it definitely suggests the power of Nebbiolo but is completely approachable, unlike a very young Barolo.

2013  

2009  

100% Montepulciano. A broad nose, deep, spicy & round flavors supported by a dusting of tannin. Aged in Slovenian cask 8-12 months. This is a moderately serious Montepulciano, obviously not at the level of Emidio Pepe, but certainly well above the usual everyday drinkers from Abruzzo. This wine, produced from the iconic grape of Abruzzo is named for the local vineyard named after Farro - the iconic grain of the region.

2001  Merlot

"The 2001 Montiano, 100% Merlot, offers the luxuriously sweet and expansive nose which has always characterized the wine. Full of plum, raspberry, and dark chocolate scents, along with a dense, deep, and velvety palate, it is full and round, with the super-polished tannins which make it one of Italy's touchstone Merlot bottlings. Drink: 2005-2018." -Wine Advocate

2000  

100% Sangiovese. "The 2000 Fontalloro, as always, represents the estate’s best Sangiovese, from a vineyard which is partly inside and partly outside the appellation limits. A dark, deep ruby/garnet, its powerful nose of kirsch and plums is given additional complexity by the aromas of tobacco, damp earth, and underbrush which always characterize this wine. Rich in extract, firm and sustained in flavor, its tannins are more approachable than those of the two Riserva bottlings, but it will doubtlessly last longer as well, till the middle of the next decade if not longer." - 90pts WA, 91pts WS

2016  

Franz Gojer is a master of Schiava and Lagrein. These two varietals which find their homes in the northern reaches of the Alto Adige are about as far from the mainstream as you can get, but each is a truly unique and vibrant example of the best that this mountainous region can produce. Lagrein, on the other hand, is cut from a bigger and darker cloth. A cousin of Syrah, its deep brambly base notes and core of black fruit are all balanced by an underlying mountain acidity and minerality imparted by the soils and climate of the region. -- The Lagrein Granat is sourced from vineyards in the town of Ora, about 30 minutes south of Bolzano. The soil here is alluvial thought it has some porphyry as well. Aged in large botti, this is beautifully made, blanced Lagrein that is delicious on release but has the potential to improve over time as well. -- 13% alcohol.

2001  Castelgiocondo Riserva 'Ripe al Convento'

Castelgiocondo is produced from an uncompromising selection of the finest Sangiovese grapes, in a vineyard whose ideal elevation, well-drained soils, and southwest-facing exposure yield all of the qualities that converge to produce the finest expression of this ancient grape variety. It is an elegant, well-balanced wine of magnificent structure.

1998  

2016  Barolo

2013  Single Vineyard Montelpulciano d' Abruzzo

Single Vineyard Montelpulciano d' Abruzzo