CANTINA GIACOMO CONTERNO, ITALY

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CANTINA GIACOMO CONTERNO, ITALY 2011, 2009 & 2006 VINTAGES, EN PRIMEUR BACKGROUND Cantina Giacomo Conterno is to be found in Monforte d Alba, a small town of the Langhe in the Piedmont region 0f

1 CANTINA GIACOMO CONTERNO, ITALY 2011, 2009 & 2006 VINTAGES, EN PRIMEUR BACKGROUND Cantina Giacomo Conterno is to be found in Monforte d Alba, a small town of the Langhe in the Piedmont region 0f north-west Italy. The Langhe is one of the most staggeringly beautiful wineproducing regions in the world; vast and breath-taking, with undulating hills adorned with woodland and striking, steeply-sloped vineyards. The Giacomo Conterno label is a guarantee of quintessential quality, recognised universally as the prime ambassador for Barolo, super-traditional, opulent, powerful and pure with consummate and impressive capacity for ageing. The history of Cantina Giacomo Conterno spans four generations of individuals, all equally endowed with pioneering vision and talent. Cantina Giacomo Conterno was established in 1908 when Roberto s grandfather, Giovanni, opened a small, family-run restaurant in the village of San Giuseppe. He produced a Barolo for the business, made from grapes he sourced in the region, selling on surplus. When his father died in 1934, Giacomo Conterno naturally assumed the role of overseeing both the restaurant and winery, having worked with his father since his return from the war. Giacomo and Giovanni had been an innovative partnership, producing, bottling and even exporting well ahead of their time. Giacomo, in turn, passed the reins to his sons, another Giovanni, and Aldo, in Giovanni, the elder brother, had worked with his father on the 1958 vintage and had been in charge since Strongly influenced by his father, he chose to follow a traditional path, producing a very classical style of wine. Aldo, his brother, was more interested in modernising Barolo and, consequently, in 1969 the brothers went their separate ways, each with a clear vision, albeit conflicting, of the future of Barolo. In 1974, Giovanni spear-headed the fortuitous, and massively courageous investment in the 14 hectare monopole of Cascina Francia, situated at 400 metres above sea level. It is a limestone/sandstone slope, facing south-west a fabulous site but one which must have needed considerable imagination. When Giovanni Conterno bought the land, Cascina Francia had never been planted with vines, rather it was a wheat field. However, its exposure and largely calcareous soil proved to be perfect for the Conterno style. From the first vintage of Cascina Francia, in 1978, the family stopped buying in grapes from elsewhere, which really put Cantina Giacomo Conterno on the map. Quality, for the first time, was now entirely under family control from vineyard to bottle. Indeed, there have been few estates in Italy so identified with one piece of land as Giacomo Conterno. Today, Giovanni s son, is at the helm, having assumed the role on his father Giovanni s untimely death in It cannot ever be easy to take over from an iconic figure and Roberto descends from a line of them. The weight of history could bear heavily on the shoulders of Roberto, yet all evidence is to the contrary. Even the tightest-lipped cynics would have to admit that Roberto has taken control with extraordinarily single minded determination and drive. Hard work and attention to detail, allied to near fanatical traditionalism and perfectionism, has produced awardwinning wines year on year.

2 CERRETTA Essentially orthodox in his approach, Roberto has not lost the Conterno vision and imagination. In 2008, in an exciting and bold move, he firmly stamped his imprint on the estate s impressive history by adding three hectares of fabulously-sited terroir, Cerretta in Serralunga d Alba, to the family holdings. This is the first addition to the estate since the acquisition of Cascina Francia, 37 years previously. Now, armed with the experience of four generations, Roberto has the opportunity to mould this new, quite different terroir, Cerretta, in his own way. The property comprises 2 hectares of Nebbiolo and 1 hectare of Barbera on a unique soil, part clay, part limestone. Yet Roberto s first vintage was to prove something of a trial, a tough year with rain in spring and summer and some hail for good measure though nature came up trumps in the end. Roberto rose to the challenge and used the experiences presented during the growing season as an essential part of gaining an understanding of this new property, the better to facilitate its individual character. Armed with this knowledge and with a very small, severely selected crop, he elected to delay making a Barolo, at least for another year. The wines, sadly available in tiny quantities, will make people smile. THIS RELEASE As always with this release, we are offering a mix of vintages. The Barberas are released younger (2011 vintage) than the Barolo (2009 vintage), due to the additional length of time needed to age the latter. Excitingly, we also have a Riserva to release this year - Monfortino The production of Monfortino is restricted to exceptional vintages and is only released when Roberto feels the wine is ready. We never quite know what will be released or when exactly and arguably Roberto would state that he is in the same position. The wine decides. Monfortino Riserva, due to such small quantities, will be allocated. ALISON BUCHANAN September VINTAGE NOTES Due to these weather conditions the Barbera 2011 has a big structure and a great body. The first notable characteristic of the 2011 growing season was the early flowering of the Barbera, 2 weeks earlier than expected. However, summer was not particularly warm until mid-august, when the weather conditions changed, with temperatures soaring. This hot weather lasted until the end of September. As a result of the premature flowering, in addition to the high temperatures from halfway through August, harvest was set to be early and, in fact, picking took place on the 6 th and 7 th September, whereas ordinarily Barbera would be picked at the end of the month.

3 2009 VINTAGE NOTES 2009 for me is one directional simple but impressive began with fresh conditions, a lot of snow at the beginning of the year and rain in spring. Spring merging into summer was relatively dry, but there then followed a rather strange summer with mild temperatures until mid-august, when it started to become very hot, with temperatures continuing to increase through the beginning of September. Harvest was 10 th /12 th October. The topsy-turvy nature of the year led to a very approachable wine, both tannic and sweet VINTAGE NOTES A classical style in the making was quite a challenging season. Winter and spring were relatively uneventful and the vineyards fared well, but the summer was tricky, lurching from hot temperatures to significant rainfall. Temperatures were really high at the beginning of July, but in August conditions became uncharacteristically damp. September offered both sunshine and intermittent showers. As harvest approached, the evening temperatures dropped, these cooler nights making for greater complexity, more intense colour and expressive aromatics. 2006, in the right hands, produced classically-balanced, powerful wines, with great potential for ageing. TASTING NOTES The tasting notes are written by Will Hargrove (Head of Fine Wine). BARBERA D ALBA CERRETTA is a joyous vintage for Barbera. A deep vibrant colour, almost crimson purple with no change right to the rim of the glass. It is extrovert and outrageously fragrant. The fruit character is hard to define precisely - a good sign in my book. Black cherries and kirsch are there as usual for this site, but also a red fruit and more lifted character. In crude terms the pure concentration of fruit alongside a brilliant acidity makes this wine a gem. The finest Barbera yet from this site - so exciting. CORNEY & BARROW SCORE 18 (RECOMMENDED DRINKING FROM ) 315/CASE OF 12 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK BARBERA D ALBA CASCINA FRANCIA 2011 Inky deep colour, a shade deeper than the Cerretta. On the nose this is always more masculine and serious than the more "lifted" Cerretta. This is the most serious Barbera I have tasted; possibly one that takes the variety to another level. There is black cherry, but also blackcurrant and prune. The saline character that always comes from Cascina Francia is there too, to give balance to the extravagant dark fruit, good acidity and fine, rich tannins. This is a masterpiece that will drink for a long time, always giving pleasure. Very special. CORNEY & BARROW SCORE 18.5 (RECOMMENDED DRINKING FROM ) 315/CASE OF 12 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK 345/CASE OF 6 MAGNUMS, IN BOND UK

4 BAROLO CASCINA FRANCIA 2009 The barrel that would have been "Monfortino" in 2009 was added 6 months ago. The decision not to produce the Monfortino in 2009 was made not because it was not good enough, per se, just that it did not stand out enough from the rest of the Barolo Cascina Francia. The addition of that barrel though, does make the Barolo Cascina Francia a marvel of a Barolo The colour is a pale, almost auburn one -. with the structure of Barolo it is often hard to remember that the Nebbiolo is a thin skinned grape. Moving from the eye to the nose the wine has a beautiful, feminine character, soft red fruit and perfume, a stunning amount of finesse and elegance, no rough edges, an easy but persistent attack on the palate. Without doubt this is a wine that will, as often Nebbiolo can, put on weight after bottling. The lasting expression is of ripe tannins and a long finish. Very fine indeed. CORNEY & BARROW SCORE 18.5 (RECOMMENDED DRINKING FROM ) 495/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK 190/CASE OF 1 MAGNUM, IN BOND UK MONFORTINO 2006 Lovely autumnal colour with a slight evolution on the rim. The nose is staggeringly complex: dashes of iodine and prunes, but then also degraded fruit and a touch of new leather. This is a wine for the patient - a wine that will evolve slowly over time with more sweetness coming through as the years, decades even, pass. The true class is shown by the fact that when one tries to define the wine, one can't decide which is greater, the savoury edge or the complexity of the bruised fruit. Big balanced and longlived but not a rough edge in sight. A legend? I think so. CORNEY & BARROW SCORE 19.5 (RECOMMENDED DRINKING FROM ) 1,850/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK 650/CASE OF 1 MAGNUM, IN BOND UK ALLOCATION PROCESS The allocation process for Monfortino Cantina Giacomo Conterno and Corney & Barrow s focus is on the private customer and as a consumer rather than a speculator. 2. The wines are bought on the clear understanding that they will be stored and delivered in the UK only. 3. No customer will be allocated more than 12 bottles of Monfortino. 4. Should you wish to sell the wine in the future, do please offer Corney & Barrow first refusal as this will ensure the integrity of secondary market distribution. 5. Priority will be given in the first instance to the biggest supporters of Cantina Giacomo Conterno and Corney & Barrow s best, most loyal and most regular customers. 6. We will do our best to accommodate newer customers. May we please have your order by Wednesday 25 th September. Allocations will be completed by Friday 27 th September. Confirmation of order will be through receipt of invoice and the wines will be delivered or put into your reserve on payment. As already outlined, all orders are conditional upon UK storage only.

5 May we please request that invoices are settled within the usual terms. In the interests of being fair, we reserve the right to re-allocate your order to other customers on the waiting list if payment is not received by this time. Do please speak to our sales team, who will be delighted to help you further. TASTING GUIDE Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection A VERY GOOD TOEXCELLENT WINE AN EXCELLENT TO OUTSTANDING WINE AN OUTSTANDING TO LEGENDARY WINE Wines are judged within their peergroup, eg. Villages, Premier Cru, Grand Cru. A definitive score of a young wine is almost impossible. We usually offer a spread (eg ) that relates to a potential to achieve a higher mark. A + adds further to that potential. A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes. TO ORDER PLEASE CALL LONDON, EAST ANGLIA, EDINBURGH OR NORTH OF ENGLAND OR SALES@CORNEYANDBARROW.COM

Cantina Giacomo Conterno

Cantina Giacomo Conterno EXCLUSIVE TO CORNEY & BARROW IN THE uk 1 cantina giacomo conterno background Cantina Giacomo Conterno is to be found in Monforte d Alba a small town of the Langhe in Italy s Piedmont