Very dark wine. A thick nose of tar, dark oily fruit, black olives, floral notes, cherry. This is spectacular but dense- particularly alongside the other great Italian wines we’ve had tonight. Amazing stuff but hard to taste through right now. In 10-20 years this could be one of the most transcendent red wines ever. There’s that much quality material... but at the moment it’s tight as hell. Wonderful potential.
Very dark wine. A thick nose of tar, dark oily fruit, black olives, floral notes, cherry. This is spectacular but dense- particularly alongside the other great Italian wines we’ve had tonight. Amazing stuff but hard to taste through right now. In 10-20 years this could be one of the most transcendent red wines ever. There’s that much quality material... but at the moment it’s tight as hell. Wonderful potential.
Aug 10th, 2018
Dense, perfumed, and lifted: balanced like none other
Dense, perfumed, and lifted: balanced like none other
Nov 28th, 2014
Must preface this post with the admission that a wine like this can never fully live up to its hype; regardless, it was a sensational bottle: powerful and muscular with precision and grace; dried orange peel, sandalwood, cedar, red brick and just a hint of sour cherry fruit. We didn’t decant or open early for fear of losing those delicate, appetizing, evocative aromatics (sotto bosco, white truffle, roasting game, roses, sandalwood again) unique to old Barolos. This wine is wonderful today, but don’t anticipate it getting any better—then again I don’t foresee a wine built like this falling apart any time soon. A wine for kings (and birthday week princesses) indeed!
Must preface this post with the admission that a wine like this can never fully live up to its hype; regardless, it was a sensational bottle: powerful and muscular with precision and grace; dried orange peel, sandalwood, cedar, red brick and just a hint of sour cherry fruit. We didn’t decant or open early for fear of losing those delicate, appetizing, evocative aromatics (sotto bosco, white truffle, roasting game, roses, sandalwood again) unique to old Barolos. This wine is wonderful today, but don’t anticipate it getting any better—then again I don’t foresee a wine built like this falling apart any time soon. A wine for kings (and birthday week princesses) indeed!
Jul 14th, 2020
1985 Giacomo Conterno Monfortino Riserva Barolo. Dinner at Ner w D&M H. Very raisiny and sweet from the get-go, despite decanting for over an hour. Fully mature, very sweet- definitely a very specific taste that you have to be ready for. Distinctive sweet flavor.
1985 Giacomo Conterno Monfortino Riserva Barolo. Dinner at Ner w D&M H. Very raisiny and sweet from the get-go, despite decanting for over an hour. Fully mature, very sweet- definitely a very specific taste that you have to be ready for. Distinctive sweet flavor.
Dec 30th, 2016Magnum 1985 Giacomo Conterno Monfortino Barolo. Drank during K's bday lunch at Redd Wood. Interesting to drink this in comparison with the magnum of 1990 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva. So different from each other. This wine was so delicious and elegant. Not as huge as the Giacosa. Awesome.
Magnum 1985 Giacomo Conterno Monfortino Barolo. Drank during K's bday lunch at Redd Wood. Interesting to drink this in comparison with the magnum of 1990 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva. So different from each other. This wine was so delicious and elegant. Not as huge as the Giacosa. Awesome.
Nov 24th, 2015
Barolo, Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy
