Giacomo Conterno Vertical in 2004
I broke with tradition here and decanted these wines, or in the case of the 67’s just opened them, an hour to two hours before we got to them. I took notes when the wines were opened and followed up with notes during the tasting. While the wines opened and fleshed out I feel a bit of the aromatic development was lost and some of these wines closed up a bit with airing, In any event the story goes as follows;
1995 Joly Coullee de Serrant – quite golden and dense coloration – nutty oxidative nose starts out seemingly a bit reduced, counterintuitive I know, really goes through some evolution with the first notes hinting at smoking hay followed by some baked bana peel, caramelized orange peel, marzipan, orchid florality, orange blossoms, early grey tea, a hint of baby powder, acacia honey, really fascinating and vibrant nose – the entry is a bit oily with good acidity, quincy fruit and green tea on entry leads to a lightly spicy mid-palate with a baked fruit impression that shows some tense limestone nuances aging a bit of grippy tension, as quickly as the aromas and flavors come they go, a wine best enjoyed over a short period of time, nose ***/5, palate **/5
2003 Nusserhof Blaterle – almost clear with a faint green tinged golden cast – superb piquant nose with white pepper, honeysuckle, wet river stones, the woods after a rain, grapefruit and grapefruit pith and with air a light peach note – light and juicy in the mouth, gritty and mineralic on the midpalate with spicy floral fruit, very spicy and aggressive finish is almost minty in an icy way, mysterious and ethereal fruit hints at kiwi and starfuit, others have recently had this and said it showed much more fruit but I like this as it showed tonight, very interesting and engaging wine. Seems like a cross between Gruner and Gewurtz **/5
The Giacomo Conterno Show
1967 Barolo - apon opening – very amber, almost gold with the faintest red hue – the nose is greeted with a lovely white cherry note with sweet pipe tobacco, musk, and melon nuances, develops some spicy salami notes and adds some orange rind and a suggestion of tartuffi in it’s spiciness, awesome nose – lovely bottle sweetness on entry, still tannic, bright orangy acidity, delivers more on the nose at this point but still shows lovely balance and great finesse in it’s clean woodsy flavors, long finish shows a bit of citron peel and glaceed chestnut, finishes long and subtle with distinct clarity
with about 90 minutes of airing in the opened bottle – much redder with copper highlights – showing some age on the nose, lightlu smoky, big beef bouillion some noticeable sweet licorice, lovely pine resin base over which is layered sweet pip tobacco, old wood, old fire pit, cut plums, a bit caramelatto, and some dried flowers – nicely integrated with good acidity and still strong tannins, lots of licorice on the mid-palate leading to an orangey mineraly finish, a bit lean, gently decaying, a nice echo of plums on the finish- not as impressive as the last bottle but very good and at peak, drink up. With whole wheat pasta and mushrooms become more orangy and acidic ***/5
1967 Monfortino – almost top shoulder fill, very moldy and damp cork yet still very tight in the neck – apon opening – pale gold tinged with a lovely red core, still vibrant and healthy – lovely nose right off the bat, warm and inviting with a dark frutti di bosco pudding quality, nettles in spades suggesting of sage, some fruity gum notes, nice background spiciness over a subtle base of beef boullion and porcini dust, wow what an awesome nose – sweet entry with good acidity, softening tannins lovely fruitiness in the mouth with an initial note of sour apple followed my melon and finally raspberry, turns decidedly leathery in the finish with a caramel note and suggestion of parmeggiano fruitiness before ending with a lingering impression of blood orange
with about 90 minutes of airing in the open bottle – showing more saturated and redder than the regular bottling – fleshy nose is peppery with a whiff of caramel, amarena cherries, strong nettle, bresoala, leathery, old bookbinders glue, red apple skins, VA, roses and lilac florality, prosciutto, macerating cherries, a whiff of rhonish oliviness – in the mouth the entry is bright and round with more glycerin than the regular bottling, lightly spicy baked apricot and cherry fruit with a hint of hazelnut, long taut finish, shows a slight terpene note, beginning to fall apart with a bit of sherry on the finale, perhaps due to the seepage but my guess is it’s time to drink this up. Certainly at peak but will hold for 3-5 years. With the pasta became more acidic but showed nice, spicy raspberry fruit. ****/5
1982 Cascina Francia Riserva – apon opening – a bit more bronze than the 1999 and between the 97 and 99 in intensity of color, perhaps darker than both, amazing. – nose start out cranky and mysterious with aromas of old dark rum, dusty old books, smells of bleached bones, faintly sweet with a suggestion of dark chocolate, plum pudding, baba rhum, black licorice, caraway, a suggestion of maple. – resolving nicely if incredibly youthful, still significant tannin, very good acidity turns orangy, tangerine and cherry fruit on the mid-palate, tannins clamp down on the finish which shows some intriguing nuances of white peach, very subtle
after about 2 hours in the decanter – much darker red than the older wines – sour meat and cherries on the nose, some notes of poppy seeds, burnt wood, light licorice note, a hint of candied angelica root, develops a strong note of fresh roses along with strong black licorice and black pepper – rich and tannic in the mouth, still a baby, great depth of cherry fruit, deep old wood, dark and brooding with a strong black spiced mid-palate, finish is a bit short if more obviously fruited and friendly. This is a decade away from maturity, maybe more. The last bottle I had was more evolved and friendly but without the potential of this bottle. With duck this wine turned quite red fruited but the tannin on the finish was accentuated. ****/5 and red WOTN
1982 Monfortino – apon opening – both the darkest wine of the night and the most amber-copper – shows dusty old books at first, wild animal fur, a hint of confiture, very spicy cherries in alcohol, a bit of black pepper and prosciutto, a hint of complex spices like Indian or Moroccan, heady stuff, very complex and aromatic, old woddy, some roses peaking out – rich and plush entry, real bottle sweetness here, gorgeous in the mouth with excellent acidity and lots of tannins giving support to the formidable core of perfectly ripe, chewy fruit, the midpalate is dominated by cherry, licorice, and limestone. So tannic one’s lips adhere to one’s teeth, the finish is short and tight hinting at black spices with a wild gamey nuance, a bit of pear skin and strawberry fruit leather, a lingering note of beef essence
after about 2 hours in a decanter – also much darker – lovely spicy, caraway scented nose, some black pepper, quite strong actually, sottobosco, fresh and dried funghi, some crystallized raspberry, nettles, subtle mintiness, roasted venison and a lovely balsamic note – sleeker in the mouth and decidedly softer and rounder than the cascina francia, this has closed up since opening, cherry and raspberry fruit on the mid-palate is framed by notes of orange and black spices, the long linger finish shows some chewing gum notes with a hint of violet, subtle and sweet finale, still a baby, in need of another decade in the cellar and a life span of another 20 years after that. With the duck this wine showed very well perhaps the best pairing of the evening, the wine became spicy showing darker fruit leaning towards dried fruits, the wine revealed itself as richly layered and intense, if incredibly youthful and still tight. ****/5
1999 Cascina Francia – bright red, fairly pale – wonderfully vinous apon opening, a bit of shoe polish VA, cedary old wood, strict in the nose, tarry and old woody, some wet wool or sheepskin notes, very leathery – bright acids and tough tannins apon entry, well balanced, sinewy and lean, lots of leather and granite dust, a mouthful of tannins across the palate, not showing a lot, strict young Barolo, the finish is long and astringent with notes of peach skin and wild strawberry
After 2 hours in the decanter – the nose is closed down showing rainwater, alcohol, pine resin/rosemary herbal aromatics, some oyster shells, concrete dust, limestone – in the mouth the wine is sternly traditional, tight and brutal, there is a core of lovely ripe fruit and good richness but everything is held in check by the structure, classic young Barolo with the potential to really blossom in 10 – 15 years **/5
1997 Cascina Francia – a bit more depth and intensity than the 1999 – warmer on the nose with a subtle yet distinct note of confiture of frutti di bosco, some herbal hints of mint, nettles, and caraway, nice old woody notes with a hint of smoky bacon and cherries in alcohol – sweeter on entry than th 99 with more glycerin, good acidity, tannins are riper and softer, certainly less prominent, a bit o banana in the mouth, tight, certainly more fruit driven than the 99 but not very 97ish, juicy finish is long, meaty, licorice tinged with a bit of over-ripe strawberry, long lingering strawberry seed finale
after 3 hours in the decanter – a bit alcoholic on the nose, very strawberry scented, very ripe with a bit of sweetly herbal caraway – lovely entry, obviously from a riper vintage, still packed with tannin and has good supporting acidity, the fruit is rounder but perhaps a bit less able to buffer against the tannins, very engaging but nowhere near ready, fruitier yet a shade simpler than the other vintages, an almosy porty note of surmaturite on the nuanced finish. Very nice wine a shade less classic than the 99 and probably ready a bit earlier, though without the potential of the later vintage. **/5
1997 Monfortino – similar to the Cascina Francia if a shade lighter – exoticly spicy on the nose, confiture note, wood smoke, cherry jam, cedary, strawberry, mace, more obviously fruity but also more complex than the CF, a complex curry like spice, more like cardamom and fenugreek with a bit of café latte – sweet entry, good acidity, tannins well buffered in the plush fruit but boy there are some tannins, tarry, leathery attack, tannins quickly build adding a nutty note before they clamp down on the finish which is very black spiced, tar and licorice, with a black cherry confiture core, a hint of porcini in the spiciness, long savory finish last for a minute easily
after 3 hours in the decanter very light nettle on the nose, quite dried rose, a bit of heat, spicy plums, almost saline, a bit of walnutty oak, smoky charcoal note, this has shur down since opening – very well integrated entry, a bit of bright yet monolithic cherry/strawberry fruit, long layered finish, quite an overlay of tannin, bit of walnutty oak leads into med-length finish. Put this away for 12-15 years at least, seems to be more in the vein of the 1985 and 1990 Monfortini so should be approachable if not enjoyable at that point. ***/5
1988 Avignonese Vin Santo Occhio Di Pernice – strong VA and alcohol on the nose, rich sherry – thich and viscous in the mouth, incredible intense, a true vino de meditazione, sweetly oxidized with intense butter, toffee attack, revealing some dried fruit on the midpalate with great acidity preventing the fruit from failing to far into the date/raisin range, finish is very long with layer apon layer of caramel and toffee hazelnuts, pecans, and walnuts, like chewing velvet. WOTN for me *****/6
1994 Warre’s -sweet plums and alcohol on the nose, tight grippy and spicy palate, good balance, give it 10 years before trying again **/5
A few general observations. I think the regular barolos need about 15-25 years to show their best and the monfortino needs perhaps 15-30 to hit pek. A long time to wait, no doubt. The 55, 58, 61, and 71 Monfortini had a year or two ago where all at a much better evolutionary stage and were more anjoyable than this line-up. Even then the 58 closed up over the several hours it was enjoyed.
My experience with the wines of Giacomo Conterno leads me to believe that the wines fall into two camps. Vintages like 85, 90, and 97 are more fruit driven and fall on the early side of the drinking window reccomendation. More classic vintages such as 78, 82, 88 and more recently 96 fall on the very high end of the scale.
As to the difference between the two cuvees, besides being richer and deeper with more sweet fruit the Monfortini are spicier wines. This event was a nice cellar check and certainly helps put in perspective the relative maturity of the various wines.
The 82's were incredibly youthful and certainly evidence of the greatness of this vintage. I think I'll try another cascina francia in about 4 years while waiting about 8 to open another Monfortino.
The 67's are fairly ready and I'ld open another barolo in 2 years and save the Monfortino for another 5 years or so.
The 1999 Cascina francia will be a fabulous wine in 12-15 years and outclased the 97 in this showing. the 97's are very good wines, as I wrote they are certainly more forwrd than other vintages and don't seem to have the complexity of more classic vintages. That being said they will be mature earlier and with pre-hitoric wines like these that's not a bad thing.
A wonderful night indeed. Thanks for all the help drinking some beautiful babies to all those who joined me. Ciao and Happy New Year.
__________________
1995 Joly Coullee de Serrant – quite golden and dense coloration – nutty oxidative nose starts out seemingly a bit reduced, counterintuitive I know, really goes through some evolution with the first notes hinting at smoking hay followed by some baked bana peel, caramelized orange peel, marzipan, orchid florality, orange blossoms, early grey tea, a hint of baby powder, acacia honey, really fascinating and vibrant nose – the entry is a bit oily with good acidity, quincy fruit and green tea on entry leads to a lightly spicy mid-palate with a baked fruit impression that shows some tense limestone nuances aging a bit of grippy tension, as quickly as the aromas and flavors come they go, a wine best enjoyed over a short period of time, nose ***/5, palate **/5
2003 Nusserhof Blaterle – almost clear with a faint green tinged golden cast – superb piquant nose with white pepper, honeysuckle, wet river stones, the woods after a rain, grapefruit and grapefruit pith and with air a light peach note – light and juicy in the mouth, gritty and mineralic on the midpalate with spicy floral fruit, very spicy and aggressive finish is almost minty in an icy way, mysterious and ethereal fruit hints at kiwi and starfuit, others have recently had this and said it showed much more fruit but I like this as it showed tonight, very interesting and engaging wine. Seems like a cross between Gruner and Gewurtz **/5
The Giacomo Conterno Show
1967 Barolo - apon opening – very amber, almost gold with the faintest red hue – the nose is greeted with a lovely white cherry note with sweet pipe tobacco, musk, and melon nuances, develops some spicy salami notes and adds some orange rind and a suggestion of tartuffi in it’s spiciness, awesome nose – lovely bottle sweetness on entry, still tannic, bright orangy acidity, delivers more on the nose at this point but still shows lovely balance and great finesse in it’s clean woodsy flavors, long finish shows a bit of citron peel and glaceed chestnut, finishes long and subtle with distinct clarity
with about 90 minutes of airing in the opened bottle – much redder with copper highlights – showing some age on the nose, lightlu smoky, big beef bouillion some noticeable sweet licorice, lovely pine resin base over which is layered sweet pip tobacco, old wood, old fire pit, cut plums, a bit caramelatto, and some dried flowers – nicely integrated with good acidity and still strong tannins, lots of licorice on the mid-palate leading to an orangey mineraly finish, a bit lean, gently decaying, a nice echo of plums on the finish- not as impressive as the last bottle but very good and at peak, drink up. With whole wheat pasta and mushrooms become more orangy and acidic ***/5
1967 Monfortino – almost top shoulder fill, very moldy and damp cork yet still very tight in the neck – apon opening – pale gold tinged with a lovely red core, still vibrant and healthy – lovely nose right off the bat, warm and inviting with a dark frutti di bosco pudding quality, nettles in spades suggesting of sage, some fruity gum notes, nice background spiciness over a subtle base of beef boullion and porcini dust, wow what an awesome nose – sweet entry with good acidity, softening tannins lovely fruitiness in the mouth with an initial note of sour apple followed my melon and finally raspberry, turns decidedly leathery in the finish with a caramel note and suggestion of parmeggiano fruitiness before ending with a lingering impression of blood orange
with about 90 minutes of airing in the open bottle – showing more saturated and redder than the regular bottling – fleshy nose is peppery with a whiff of caramel, amarena cherries, strong nettle, bresoala, leathery, old bookbinders glue, red apple skins, VA, roses and lilac florality, prosciutto, macerating cherries, a whiff of rhonish oliviness – in the mouth the entry is bright and round with more glycerin than the regular bottling, lightly spicy baked apricot and cherry fruit with a hint of hazelnut, long taut finish, shows a slight terpene note, beginning to fall apart with a bit of sherry on the finale, perhaps due to the seepage but my guess is it’s time to drink this up. Certainly at peak but will hold for 3-5 years. With the pasta became more acidic but showed nice, spicy raspberry fruit. ****/5
1982 Cascina Francia Riserva – apon opening – a bit more bronze than the 1999 and between the 97 and 99 in intensity of color, perhaps darker than both, amazing. – nose start out cranky and mysterious with aromas of old dark rum, dusty old books, smells of bleached bones, faintly sweet with a suggestion of dark chocolate, plum pudding, baba rhum, black licorice, caraway, a suggestion of maple. – resolving nicely if incredibly youthful, still significant tannin, very good acidity turns orangy, tangerine and cherry fruit on the mid-palate, tannins clamp down on the finish which shows some intriguing nuances of white peach, very subtle
after about 2 hours in the decanter – much darker red than the older wines – sour meat and cherries on the nose, some notes of poppy seeds, burnt wood, light licorice note, a hint of candied angelica root, develops a strong note of fresh roses along with strong black licorice and black pepper – rich and tannic in the mouth, still a baby, great depth of cherry fruit, deep old wood, dark and brooding with a strong black spiced mid-palate, finish is a bit short if more obviously fruited and friendly. This is a decade away from maturity, maybe more. The last bottle I had was more evolved and friendly but without the potential of this bottle. With duck this wine turned quite red fruited but the tannin on the finish was accentuated. ****/5 and red WOTN
1982 Monfortino – apon opening – both the darkest wine of the night and the most amber-copper – shows dusty old books at first, wild animal fur, a hint of confiture, very spicy cherries in alcohol, a bit of black pepper and prosciutto, a hint of complex spices like Indian or Moroccan, heady stuff, very complex and aromatic, old woddy, some roses peaking out – rich and plush entry, real bottle sweetness here, gorgeous in the mouth with excellent acidity and lots of tannins giving support to the formidable core of perfectly ripe, chewy fruit, the midpalate is dominated by cherry, licorice, and limestone. So tannic one’s lips adhere to one’s teeth, the finish is short and tight hinting at black spices with a wild gamey nuance, a bit of pear skin and strawberry fruit leather, a lingering note of beef essence
after about 2 hours in a decanter – also much darker – lovely spicy, caraway scented nose, some black pepper, quite strong actually, sottobosco, fresh and dried funghi, some crystallized raspberry, nettles, subtle mintiness, roasted venison and a lovely balsamic note – sleeker in the mouth and decidedly softer and rounder than the cascina francia, this has closed up since opening, cherry and raspberry fruit on the mid-palate is framed by notes of orange and black spices, the long linger finish shows some chewing gum notes with a hint of violet, subtle and sweet finale, still a baby, in need of another decade in the cellar and a life span of another 20 years after that. With the duck this wine showed very well perhaps the best pairing of the evening, the wine became spicy showing darker fruit leaning towards dried fruits, the wine revealed itself as richly layered and intense, if incredibly youthful and still tight. ****/5
1999 Cascina Francia – bright red, fairly pale – wonderfully vinous apon opening, a bit of shoe polish VA, cedary old wood, strict in the nose, tarry and old woody, some wet wool or sheepskin notes, very leathery – bright acids and tough tannins apon entry, well balanced, sinewy and lean, lots of leather and granite dust, a mouthful of tannins across the palate, not showing a lot, strict young Barolo, the finish is long and astringent with notes of peach skin and wild strawberry
After 2 hours in the decanter – the nose is closed down showing rainwater, alcohol, pine resin/rosemary herbal aromatics, some oyster shells, concrete dust, limestone – in the mouth the wine is sternly traditional, tight and brutal, there is a core of lovely ripe fruit and good richness but everything is held in check by the structure, classic young Barolo with the potential to really blossom in 10 – 15 years **/5
1997 Cascina Francia – a bit more depth and intensity than the 1999 – warmer on the nose with a subtle yet distinct note of confiture of frutti di bosco, some herbal hints of mint, nettles, and caraway, nice old woody notes with a hint of smoky bacon and cherries in alcohol – sweeter on entry than th 99 with more glycerin, good acidity, tannins are riper and softer, certainly less prominent, a bit o banana in the mouth, tight, certainly more fruit driven than the 99 but not very 97ish, juicy finish is long, meaty, licorice tinged with a bit of over-ripe strawberry, long lingering strawberry seed finale
after 3 hours in the decanter – a bit alcoholic on the nose, very strawberry scented, very ripe with a bit of sweetly herbal caraway – lovely entry, obviously from a riper vintage, still packed with tannin and has good supporting acidity, the fruit is rounder but perhaps a bit less able to buffer against the tannins, very engaging but nowhere near ready, fruitier yet a shade simpler than the other vintages, an almosy porty note of surmaturite on the nuanced finish. Very nice wine a shade less classic than the 99 and probably ready a bit earlier, though without the potential of the later vintage. **/5
1997 Monfortino – similar to the Cascina Francia if a shade lighter – exoticly spicy on the nose, confiture note, wood smoke, cherry jam, cedary, strawberry, mace, more obviously fruity but also more complex than the CF, a complex curry like spice, more like cardamom and fenugreek with a bit of café latte – sweet entry, good acidity, tannins well buffered in the plush fruit but boy there are some tannins, tarry, leathery attack, tannins quickly build adding a nutty note before they clamp down on the finish which is very black spiced, tar and licorice, with a black cherry confiture core, a hint of porcini in the spiciness, long savory finish last for a minute easily
after 3 hours in the decanter very light nettle on the nose, quite dried rose, a bit of heat, spicy plums, almost saline, a bit of walnutty oak, smoky charcoal note, this has shur down since opening – very well integrated entry, a bit of bright yet monolithic cherry/strawberry fruit, long layered finish, quite an overlay of tannin, bit of walnutty oak leads into med-length finish. Put this away for 12-15 years at least, seems to be more in the vein of the 1985 and 1990 Monfortini so should be approachable if not enjoyable at that point. ***/5
1988 Avignonese Vin Santo Occhio Di Pernice – strong VA and alcohol on the nose, rich sherry – thich and viscous in the mouth, incredible intense, a true vino de meditazione, sweetly oxidized with intense butter, toffee attack, revealing some dried fruit on the midpalate with great acidity preventing the fruit from failing to far into the date/raisin range, finish is very long with layer apon layer of caramel and toffee hazelnuts, pecans, and walnuts, like chewing velvet. WOTN for me *****/6
1994 Warre’s -sweet plums and alcohol on the nose, tight grippy and spicy palate, good balance, give it 10 years before trying again **/5
A few general observations. I think the regular barolos need about 15-25 years to show their best and the monfortino needs perhaps 15-30 to hit pek. A long time to wait, no doubt. The 55, 58, 61, and 71 Monfortini had a year or two ago where all at a much better evolutionary stage and were more anjoyable than this line-up. Even then the 58 closed up over the several hours it was enjoyed.
My experience with the wines of Giacomo Conterno leads me to believe that the wines fall into two camps. Vintages like 85, 90, and 97 are more fruit driven and fall on the early side of the drinking window reccomendation. More classic vintages such as 78, 82, 88 and more recently 96 fall on the very high end of the scale.
As to the difference between the two cuvees, besides being richer and deeper with more sweet fruit the Monfortini are spicier wines. This event was a nice cellar check and certainly helps put in perspective the relative maturity of the various wines.
The 82's were incredibly youthful and certainly evidence of the greatness of this vintage. I think I'll try another cascina francia in about 4 years while waiting about 8 to open another Monfortino.
The 67's are fairly ready and I'ld open another barolo in 2 years and save the Monfortino for another 5 years or so.
The 1999 Cascina francia will be a fabulous wine in 12-15 years and outclased the 97 in this showing. the 97's are very good wines, as I wrote they are certainly more forwrd than other vintages and don't seem to have the complexity of more classic vintages. That being said they will be mature earlier and with pre-hitoric wines like these that's not a bad thing.
A wonderful night indeed. Thanks for all the help drinking some beautiful babies to all those who joined me. Ciao and Happy New Year.
__________________