Wine Ratings

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The 1998 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a monumental effort. A deep dark red, it opens with a huge nose of licorice, roses and cocoa, then flows onto the palate with masses of sweet, concentrated dark fruit that go on forever. Notes of mineral and leather gradually develop in the glass, adding further complexity as this great wine begins to reveal its expansive and profound personality. The 1998 is unusually open right now. As was the case with the 1997 at this stage, it should offer a brief drinking window over the next 6 months or so before shutting down for what is likely to be an extended period prior to awakening in the glorious prime of its life. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2023.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 1998 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a monumental effort. A deep dark red, it opens with a huge nose of licorice, roses and cocoa, then flows onto the palate with masses of sweet concentrated dark fruit that go on forever. Notes of mineral and leather gradually develop in the glass, adding further complexity as this great wine begins to reveal its expansive and profound personality. The 1998 is unusually open right now. As was the case with the 1997 at this stage, it should offer a brief drinking window over the next 6 months or so before shutting down for what is likely to be an extended period prior to awakening in the glorious prime of its life.Vinous Media | 97 VMDecadent and ripe, with wonderfully seductive aromas of white truffle, plum and leather. Full-bodied, with supersoft tannins and amazing fruit and Christmas cake character. All in finesse and beauty. All in place.Wine Spectator | 94 WS(Barolo “Monfortino” Riserva Speciale - Giacomo Conterno) The 1998 Monfortino is a superb bottle in the making, which comes as no surprise as any time the Conternos decide to put a Monfortino label on a new release, it is a guarantee of quality. The 1998 offers up a very deep and typically black fruity nose of black cherries, dark berries, licorice, camphor, road tar, woodsmoke and a fine base of soil. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and laser-like in its focus, with a rock solid core of fruit, firm, well-integrated tannins, and outstanding length and grip on the very youthful and tangy finish. This will need every bit of twelve or fifteen years of bottle age to begin to blossom, and should prove to be an especially long-lived vintage of Monfortino. (Drink between 2020-2075).John Gilman | 94 JG

Conterno’s 2001 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a towering, gigantic wine. Layers of sweet perfumed fruit flow across the palate in this gracious, refined yet powerful Monfortino. Hints of sweet red berries, roses, licorice and spices wrap around the deeply resonant finish. This is another wine that begs for patience. Today it is an infant. Anticipated maturity: 2021-2041.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPThe 2001 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a wine that appears to be going through an adolescent, unsettled phase. Several recent bottles have been quite stubborn, but this magnum is a bit better. Elegant and silky in feel, the 2001 gives the impression that it will mature earlier than some of the surrounding vintages. I know that will surprises more than a few Vinous readers – it surprises me too – but that’s just the way things look right now.Vinous Media | 96 VMThe 2001 Monfortino will be a magical wine, but it is very, very young today and still very shut down and in need of several more years of cellaring before it is even open enough for proper inspection. What struck me most poignantly about this vintage of Monfortino is how pure and red fruity it is out of the blocks, which is fairly rare for this normally quite black fruity interpretation of Barolo greatness. The bouquet is deep, hauntingly pure and transparent, as it soars from the glass in a very primary mélange of red cherries, orange zest, woodsmoke, herbs, coffee, a great base of soil and plenty of roses in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, very pure and absolutely rock solid at the core, with brisk acids, ripe, well-integrated and substantial tannins, brilliant focus and balance and stunning length and grip on the very young, refined finish. A great Monfortino in the works. (Drink between 2020 - 2075)John Gilman | 96+ JGOffers sweet plum and sultana aromas, with hints of citrus fruit on the nose. Full-bodied, with soft, sweet tannins and cedar, cappuccino and sweet fruit flavors. Long and gorgeous. Hard not to drink now. Best after 2012. 855 cases made, 170 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

A dark, virile wine, the 2011 Barolo Cerretta shows just how far Conterno has come with this site. The flavors are dark, bold and incisive throughout, with plenty of dark red cherry, plum, leather, smoke, tar, licorice and scorched earth overtones. Powerful and intense, with a real sense of vertical structure, Cerretta is going to need time to settle down. There is none of the early appeal of the vintage here, so readers will have to be patient. This is going to be a fascinating wine to follow as it ages over the coming decades.Vinous Media | 95+ VMSmells of ripe bilberry, blackberry and black currant, with an undertone of violet. Rich and round, this is balanced by lively acidity and refined tannins. Young, but already showing harmony and a long aftertaste of sweet fruit. Fine potential. Best from 2018 through 2035. 140 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSNew leather, blue flower, raspberry and Mediterranean herb aromas emerge on this full-bodied, concentrated wine. The structured palate doles out creamy raspberry, juicy black cherry marinated in spirits, cinnamon and pipe tobacco alongside velvety tannins. A licorice note wraps up the warm, lingering finish. It’s delicious and already surprisingly accessible. Kerin O’Keefe | 94 KONew leather, blue flower, raspberry and Mediterranean herb aromas emerge on this full-bodied, concentrated wine. The structured palate doles out creamy raspberry, juicy black cherry marinated in spirits, cinnamon and pipe tobacco alongside velvety tannins. A licorice note wraps up the warm, lingering finish. It’s delicious and already surprisingly accessible.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WE

Roberto Conterno opened the 2013 Barolo Cerretta as a comparison with the 2014. Powerful, dense and incredibly tannic, the 2013 is a potent, classically austere Barolo that will only soften with time. The only question is how much. Sage, licorice and rose petal overtones start to emerge with air, but readers should not be thinking of opening bottles any time in the near future.Vinous Media | 97 VMThe 2013 Barolo Cerretta shows that exuberant fruit that is so prominent in this vintage. Fruit was harvested two weeks later than average towards the end of October. This gave the Nebbiolo grape ample time to develop its aromatic nuance and intensity. The Cerretta vineyard is higher than average at 400 meters above sea level and that altitude has further helped to prolong the growing season (something the Nebbiolo grape loves). The site has more clay in the soils and vines are up to 20years old. There is a point of ripe cherry or sweet blackberry on the close. Behind the primary fruit is a pretty succession of tar, campfire smoke and tasted hazelnut aromas. This wine will be bottled in June.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPA dense style, this red features cherry, strawberry, floral, mineral and tar aromas and flavors. Firms up quickly, with the tightly wound Serralunga profile. Balanced on the tannic side, requiring time, but the potential lies in the long, minerally aftertaste. Best from 2022 through 2040. 50 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

The 2013 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is another huge, tannic wine. Crystalline and so precise, the 2013 is deceptive, as the aromatics are quite inviting, until masses of tannin hit the palate. Tar, rose petal, spice and cedar open with a bit of time in the glass, showing just enough to make the wine pleasurable today. Even so, the best is clearly yet to come. Patience will be rewarded.Vinous Media | 99 VMSubtle aromas of cherry, wild herb and tobacco introduce this sleek, complex version, while cherry, strawberry, loam, iron and tobacco flavors build in intensity to the extended finish. But what truly defines this superb and silky Barolo is the texture and harmony, with a fine weave to the dense tannins. All the components come together on the lingering aftertaste. Best from 2022 through 2050. 1,666 cases made.Wine Spectator | 99 WSWarm aromas of plums, rose petals and spices with hints of sandalwood. Some tar. Full body, dense center palate with glorious fruit and a fantastic finish. Very, very polished and fine tannins. Vertical and deep. A great Monfortino. Try in 2023.James Suckling | 99 JSI have been tasting this wine from barrel for the past two years and now finally, abracadabra, the 2013 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is safely housed in bottle. The wine was bottled in June of last year and will hit the market this upcoming October. The Barolo Francia was not produced in 2013 because Roberto Conterno diverted all fruit from that vineyard to this wine. Monfortino was not produced in 2011 or 2012, meaning that this 2013 edition follows directly after the absolutely stunning 2010 vintage (which earned a perfect 100-point score). The two vintages (2010 and 2013) are very similar, strikingly so, but the 2013 vintage registers at a slightly lower structural threshold. The tannins are slightly looser, or softer in the case of this wine. With up to six years in botte, the 2010 vintage is still crunchy and super sharp, while this wine is slightly more succulent and earthy. Some 20,000 bottles, 2,500 magnums and 400 three-liter bottles were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RPAfter the celebrated 2010, Monfortino is not disappointing in the cool and classic 2013 vintage as it suffers more in the warm vintages than the fresher ones. This Riserva is rich with fresh and savoury aromas of red cassis, cherry and blood orange, full of cinnamon spice and balsamic notes with a minty finish that’s intoxicating in its depth. On the palate it’s velvety with pleasant and ripe tannins and full and consistent structure. Overall, it’s perfectly balanced and will age for decades but is delicious for drinking now.Decanter | 97 DEC

The 2015 Barolo Francia is a soaring, regal wine endowed with tremendous intensity in all of its dimensions. The most reticent and inward of the 2015s, the Francia possesses superb textural density and persistence all the way through to the explosive finish. An immense, towering Barolo, the Francia is positively stellar. It is also going to require a number of years to be at its best. In recent years, the Conterno Barolo Francia has often been relatively accessible post bottling, the 2015 is far from that.Vinous Media | 98 VMNext comes 50-hectoliter botte number 88 that houses the upcoming 2015 Barolo Francia. Again, this wine will be bottled by the time you read this, with Conterno's newest vintages hitting the market in October. What impresses most here is the supreme elegance of the wine. It speaks in hushed whispers, enunciating promises of depth, complexity and mysterious intrigue. The wine unfolds slowly, revealing new elements with each swirl of the glass. Together, these aromas build in intensity and stature to become a magnificent Barolo with a capital B. The bouquet exudes elegance and complexity that will carry it through the ages. When I tasted this wine from barrel last year, I described it as demure. One year later, the wine is bursting with confidence, character and moxie.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPA rich, plum- and cherry-laced red, aligned with a sumptuous texture, lively acidity and refined tannins. Though dense, this remains light-footed and beautifully integrated. Bass notes of tar, soy, iron and tobacco add depth and complexity as this winds down on the finish. Best from 2023 through 2050. 1,166 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WS