Tasting Report: The Most Recent Iconic Wines From Giacomo Conterno

Barolo's Roberto Conterno, the reserved winemaker and owner of Giacomo Conterno, is one of the most precise winemakers I know in the world, and his wines are stunning quality year in and year out. This summer I spent a morning with him in his cellar in Monfortino, and I tasted his current releases that are just coming out now on the market. Wine lovers and collectors should not miss buying such wines as his Barbera d'Alba Cascina Francia 2011, Barolo Cascina Francia 2009 and Barolo Monfortino Riserva 2006. They are must-buys for various reasons.

For instance, the Barbera d'Alba Cascina Francia 2011 is one of the best Barberas I have ever tasted. Its depth and concentration are unbelievable. It shows the greatness of the 2011 vintage for Barbera as well as the deft winemaking hand of Roberto. "This is a crazy year for Barbera", says Roberto. "It has great structure with astonishing fruit and acidity." He points out that the 2011 harvest for Barbera was one of the earliest ever – even earlier than the impressive 2003. However, the grapes remained much fresher and natural acidies were higher.

Roberto was less keen on the 2009 vintage for Nebbiolo, and yet I am a fan of its finesse, fruit and early drinking qualities. He declassified all of his Monfortino production in the vintage to his Barolo Cascina Francia 2009 (something he also did in 2007). This means his blended Barolo in 2009 is a knockout and a great saving from buying the legendary Monfortino.

Meanwhile, his Barolo Monfortino Riserva 2006 is clearly the best wine of the vintage for Barolo. Roberto agrees that the vintage made "too many overly tannic and green wines", but he says that if growers waited and picked at the right time, they could produce super quality Barolos. And he certainly did. "You had to wait to harvest," he says. "We certainly picked really late. That was important."

The Barolo Monfortino Riserva 2006 is almost $600 a bottle while the Barolo Cascina Francia 2009 is about 30% to 40% less. These are very expensive wines, but they are unique and incredibly soulful. The 2011 Barberas on the other hand seem a steal at about $40 or $50 a bottle.

Below are my tasting notes.