1978 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva Barolo

1978 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva

100 RP

Featured Review

1978 Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino—Dark ruby. Conterno’s majestic 1978 Monfortino offers a fascinating contrast to the Giacosa Collina Rionda in its more concentrated, sweeter fruit and a seamless purity that seems to foreshadow a modern style of winemaking that would place more emphasis on lower yields and rounder, softer textures. This bottle is mind-blowing in its powerful yet superbly well-balanced, nuanced expression, with waves of sweet dark fruit, licorice, cocoa and leather flavors that go on forever. Despite the wine’s sheer size it offers outstanding complexity in its vivid detail, with great length and enough freshness on the finish to make me think it will last at least another twenty years. On most occasions, Conterno’s 1978 Monfortino is the Wine of the Night, as it was again in this tasting….a true testament to this wine’s stature as one of the greatest Barolos ever made. I have had the privilege of drinking several bottles of this magical wine over the last year and perfectly stored bottles are simply…perfect. 100/drink now-2021, 02/06 Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Robert Parker | 100 RP

The 1978 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a poignant reminder of how moving the epic Monfrotinos are. This is an especially brilliant bottle. Huge swaths of tannin wrap around a core of dark, balsamic-inflected fruit in a young, virile Barolo that will drink well for another two to three decades. The 1978 remains a seminal Monfortino. Wow!

Vinous Media | 100 VM

(Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva “Monfortino”) For readers interested in a history of the Giacomo Conterno Monfortino bottling, I refer them to the article on Monfortino to be found on my website. The 1978 Monfortino is the first vintage produced entirely by the Conternos from the Cascina Francia vineyard in Serralunga that they purchased in 1974. I have had the pleasure to taste this wine a handful of times previously, but this was the first time where we gave the wine a solid four hours decanting time prior to pouring. The result was the finest expression of the ’78 Monfortino that I have had the pleasure to taste, as the wine simply opened up completely, while never losing any of its depth, power or purity. Not surprisingly, the 1978 Monfortino is a monumental bottle of Barolo, and a very strong candidate for wine of the vintage. The magical bouquet is deep, profound and wide open with four hour’s air, offering up a beautiful blend of cassis, black cherries, black licorice, roses, tobacco, herbs, smoke and earth. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and absolutely stunning, with perfect balance, First Growth focus and breed, an impenetrable core of candied fruit, well-integrated tannins and acids, and a monumentally long and complex finish. This is as good as Barolo gets, and the scary thing is that it may even get better with further bottle age. (Drink between 2005-2040).

John Gilman | 98 JG

Type of Wine	Barolo : Barolo have cemented their spot as one of Italy's most famous and desirable achievements, decorating the cellars of every serious wine collector. While the grape they're made from is rather dark and dusty-looking, the elixir that comes from this varietal is an almost crystal clear, light red, like a pair of seductive lips glistening in the candlelight.
Varietal	Nebbiolo : Nebbiolo is the superstar grape variety and driving force behind the top-quality red wines of northwestern Italy. The Italian winegrowing appellation of Piedmont is covered by a sea of Nebbiolo grape vines. It is the undisputed king of grapes in the twin hillside villages of Barolo and Barbaresco, where some of the world’s most coveted wines hail from. Quality over quantity is the motto for this subtly powerful grape. A mere 5,500 hectares of Nebbiolo are cultivated around the world, of which, more than 4,000 are found in Langhe and Roero. The varietal has been growing here since the 1st century and has been called Nebbiolo since the 1200’s. Like most ancient grape varietals, there are many speculations as to its true origin, but what is certain is that in the hills of Langhe and Roero, Nebbiolo has found its ideal environment. Unlike Cabernet Sauvignon which is a versatile grape, Nebbiolo has not thrived when planted in wine regions outside of northern Italy. Nebbiolo is more like the finicky Pinot Noir: difficult to grow and highly reflective of terroir. The varietal thrives on calcareous marl, a lime-rich mudstone that is found on the right back of the Tanaro River (home to Barolo and Barbaresco) where it grows best in its warm climate and ample sunlight. The growing conditions in the hilly areas of Barolo and Barbaresco are optimal and produce some of the most sought after wines not only in Italy, but in the world. The Nebbiolo vine buds earlier than most grapes grown in Piedmont but harvested last. The berries do not appear until long after flowering, making it very susceptible to poor weather conditions. The name Nebbiolo is thought to have come from the Italian word for fog, nebbia, which is common during the fall when the local hillsides are covered in a ghostly haze. The iron fist in a velvet glove, which is a witty slogan for the wine of Barolo, can aptly be used to define the Nebbiolo grape itself. The thin-skinned, light colored grape packs a punch, producing wines that are light ruby when young and fades to a pale garnet when older. This characteristic should not be mistaken as watery; wine produced from Nebbiolo is super concentrated and flavorful with high acidity and tannins. When properly vinified, the best vintages will last for decades. Despite the challenges of this fussy grape, some growers in the “New World” are trying their hand at harvesting Nebbiolo. In South Australia young producers are making wines that are fruiter and less tannic than their Italian counterparts. This novel take on the Italian grape has prompted California, Chile and South Africa to begin small plantings of Nebbiolo. The iron fist in a velvet glove, the undisputed king of Piedmont and the deceptively powerful Nebbiolo grape may be limited in quantity, much-coveted, nearly exclusive to Italy, demands aging and can sometimes command high prices; the wait, the price and the difficulty in finding it is rewarded with one of the greatest wines made from the mighty Nebbiolo grape varietal.
Country	Italy : Italy is renowned as one of the world’s greatest gastronomic havens; from certified Prosciutto di Parma to the sea-side seafood eateries on the island of Sicily. However, this epicurean experience could not possibly be as hedonistic without the ethereal combination of the country’s plethora of fine wines. It seems unfair that a nation should be able to boast, both, some of the world’s greatest cuisine as well as its greatest wines. Italian wine is one of the most sought after in the world, and has become the second most produced in the world, behind only France. Stretching an impressive 736 miles from northern Italy to the peninsula’s southern tip, the country’s geography generates an enormous array of topography, climate and soil structure. This is an extremely important quality of its winegrowing and making industry which lays claim to nearly 550 different grape varietals, which all desire their own necessities, in terms of terroir and climate. The still red wines of Italy truly characterize the nation’s vast and expansive terroir; Nebbiolo dominates Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco reign king and queen of the region’s production. Hailing from Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany, the rockstar Sangiovese grape has become synonymous with greatness. Vin Santo sweet wines have taken on a mighty feat of competing with the glorious wines of Sauternes, and of course, Prosecco. Prosecco, located in Trieste (northeast Italy) and its creation of luxuriously effervescent styles of wine has become Italy’s answer to Champagne. The Glera grape variety, which has become synonymous with the name Prosecco, is the main ingredient and is beloved in the appellation where the village of Prosecco’s name has become world renowned. The blurred boundary between Italy and the countries of Slovenia and Austria, where German influence still resonates through Friuli wines. The prevalence of Riesling and other such grape varietals is high in this region and have become extremely popular on today’s market. With nearly 702,000 hectares of grapevines covering the massive and diverse landscape, Italy’s annual average of 48.3 million hectoliters of wine production is second only to France in terms of volume and Spain in terms of hectares of vines. The country is vast and overwhelming when it comes to the culinary arts, but perhaps even this is overshadowed by its production of some of the world’s most sought after wines, whether the omnipresent Chianti to the highly collectible and sought after Amarone della Valpolicalla.