According to their website, Paolo Conterno founded the Casa della Ginestra back in 1886. Always focused on the high potential that the various parts of the Ginestra hillside could provide, the Conterno family has been producing wonderful wines from Dolcetto, Barbera and of course Nebbiolo ever since. They are fortunate to own roughly “ten hectares of calcerous-clayey loam…at an altitude of between 300 and 360 metres, arranged on slopes of up to 38%, prevalently exposed to the south and in part to the south east,” perfect for the production of Nebbiolo.
Antonio Galloni includes the Ginestra Cru as one of ten receiving his Highest Classification of Exceptional. He finds it can produce “generally big, broad-shouldered wines with firm, chalky tannins and the structure to develop beautifully in bottle,” with dark spices, balsamic-inflected nuances and dark fruits being typical to the wines.
He also finds the 2007 vintage produced Barolo that are “radiant, intensely perfumed and totally seductive, yet not at all heavy, in a style that offers the textural richness of a warm vintage with the aromatics of a cool year.” Monica Larner of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate found Paolo Conterno’s flagship 2007 Ginestra Riserva in particular to have spectacular results “with rich floral and menthol aromas folded within the wine’s silky texture.” After recently sampling a bottle I feel both these concepts sum up the wine perfectly, and I am looking forward to following the wine over the next two decades.
With a score of 96 in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and a price of $89.99 for this recent release, I suggest you buy a six-pack or two and do the same. Make sure you decant at least 3 hours if you pull a cork over this winter holiday season and pair it with some hearty roasts, braised meats or aged cheese.