G. Conterno And The Future

[Ian_Dorin]

@Nathan Smyth

Why are Conterno & Giacosa holding back their 2010 flagship reserves for seven years?

I thought the law was [very roughly] four years for normale and five years for riserva?

Is 2010 really all that? [I guess the obvious answer would be, “Yep!”]

And then the other question would be: Who’s gonna be able to offer these wines at retail, and within how few minutes of the emails being sent will their entire allocations have been snatched up?

I was under the impression that Giacosa made no wine in 2010.

For as long as I have been in the business (17 years now), Monfortino has always been 7 years after the vintage.

I highly doubt that retailers will be “e-blasting” their allocation of Monfortino. I’m sure the best will have a list of top clients they will have a hard time satisfying.

[John_Morris]

@Nathan Smyth

I thought the law was [very roughly] four years for normale and five years for riserva?

The rules set minimums, not maximums. (For Barolo riservas, it’s five years of aging and for Barbaresco riservas it’s four.)

[Gary_York]

When you look at the pricing on the wines it is hard to justify. Just got my yearly allocation. Both 2014 Barbera are now $60 retail. They will be $85 on my list. Both 2012 Barolo will be $235 retail. I doubt I will put them on my list, but they would be $300. Do you know how few $300 bottles of wine I sell?

[Nathan_Smyth]

@Ian Dorin

I was under the impression that Giacosa made no wine in 2010.

I must have missed that story. What happened?

Every few months, for the last several years, I’ve been glancing at Wine-Searcher, looking for 2010 Riservas from Giacosa or Conterno, and wondering why I haven’t seen any yet.

@Ian Dorin

I highly doubt that retailers will be “e-blasting” their allocation of Monfortino. I’m sure the best will have a list of top clients they will have a hard time satisfying.

So unless we’re billionaires, this entire discussion is completely academic?

[Nathan_Smyth]

@Gary York

on my list

Do you have a restaurant?

[Gary_York]

Well, yes. An Enoteca.

Enoteca Sogno

[Michael_S_Monie]

@Gary York

When you look at the pricing on the wines it is hard to justify. Just got my yearly allocation. Both 2014 Barbera are now $60 retail. They will be $85 on my list. Both 2012 Barolo will be $235 retail. I doubt I will put them on my list, but they would be $300. Do you know how few $300 bottles of wine I sell?

The funny thing from my perspective is that the 2010, 100 point Monfortino will sell out effortlessly even at $1000 a bottle. The problem might be with the $200 a bottle Francia which obviously is typically purchased by a different customer base of more limited means. I don’t have a problem with any wine selling for what the market will bear. But when prices escalate to a point where it isn’t fun any longer, I’ll just do what I did with Bordeaux: walk away. There’s plenty of great wine out there.

[Odd_Rydland]

Ah, those bare necessities!

[Nathan_Smyth]

@Gary York

Well, yes. An Enoteca.

http://www.enoteca-sogno.com/

Is that wine list up-to-date?

[Keith_Levenberg]

@Ian Dorin

For as long as I have been in the business (17 years now), Monfortino has always been 7 years after the vintage.

I highly doubt that retailers will be “e-blasting” their allocation of Monfortino. I’m sure the best will have a list of top clients they will have a hard time satisfying.

All of whom will be dead before they can drink it.

[Gary_York]

That list is old but many of the same wines are available. Some vintages have rolled to the next year. Prices may have gone up a dollar to two. But mostly the list is intact. My web host changed the template and changes are more difficult to make and time consuming. I am trying to resolve the issue.

[Nick_Ellis]

@Michael S. Monie

There is a lively discussion on AG’s board regarding future vintages of G. Conterno’s Barolo. No Monfortino in 2012 which is not so unusual. But there will be no Francia in 2013 with only Monfortino being made. To the best of my knowledge, this only once occurred previously, in 2002 when severe selection of the fruit was required due to weather. Combined with some pretty Draconian price increases since the 2010 vintage, this will make their Barolo significantly more difficult to obtain for many. Are you still buying Francia and/or Monfortino and do you plan to continue to do so if prices continue to rise?

Monfortino gets my vote for the best wine in Italy, and it certainly holds its own when compared to the best from the rest of the world. $1K/bottle sounds like a relative bargain against $10K plus for top Burgundy. Same for Penfolds, all of Bordeaux and especially Petulant Raptor. I can’t afford the lesser Conterni, let alone Giacomo, and I think that the prices on his wines will explode in the near future. Roberto deserves it too, because the wines are fantastic.

[Martin_Petersen]

Just realized I commented wrongly on the Giacosa Rocche 10 which was not produced - my answer was for the Rocche Riserva 11 which has not been released yet

[Nathan_Smyth]

So was there a 2010 Le Rocche?

[Sanjay_Nandurkar]

@Andrew Hamilton

Yes, Yes, and Yes.

I’m definitely going to try and source a couple 2010 Monfortinos next year. I’ve already picked up the 2012 Francia. What pricing do you see for the 12 Francia? I’m comfortable with outlaying the ~$120 USD asking price from my supplier.

Have you tried any of your 2012 Francia? Just wanted to know how it stacks up compared to previous vintages?

[Michel_Linden]

@Sanjay Nandurkar

@Andrew Hamilton

Yes, Yes, and Yes.

I’m definitely going to try and source a couple 2010 Monfortinos next year. I’ve already picked up the 2012 Francia. What pricing do you see for the 12 Francia? I’m comfortable with outlaying the ~$120 USD asking price from my supplier.

Have you tried any of your 2012 Francia? Just wanted to know how it stacks up compared to previous vintages?

sanjay
really short supply in Aus
if you see it
buy it

[Alan_Strauss]

Tasted the 2012 GC Francia and Cerretta and 2010 Monfo while visiting Conterno last month. The Francia is the wine to buy in 12. Spectacular! The 2010 Monfortino is an amazing young wine. If you can find and afford either one buy with confidence.

[Andrew_Hamilton]

@Howard Davis

@Michael S. Monie

@g.colangelo

Isn’t 2014 the vintage where there will be no Francia and only Monfortino?
2013 is going to be an excellent vintage in Barolo and I would see no reason not to produce the Francia.
2014 is going to be bad in general, but Roberto is going to make a miracle again, like in 2002, and produce only Monfortino. At least that was my understanding.

According to A.G., with any given vintage there are 3 casks from the Francia Vineyard. In 2010, 2 were dedicated for Monfortino and 1 for Francia. In 2011 and 2012 no Monfortino was made, so all went to Francia. With 2013, all 3 casks were usd for Monfortino. And he speculates that the same might be true in 2014.

I have friends who recently tasted at G Conterno, including the proposed 2013 Monfortino that they said was spectacular. I understand that what Michael says is true. I’ve heard there will be only Monfortinos in '13 and '14, and no CFs, but there will be Cerrettas of course and an Arione (or something containing Arione fruit, however labeled) at some stage.

I’m surprised at G Conterno producing a 2014 Monfortino (and no CFs) when (for example) Cavallotto has declassified all of their potential Barolo fruit into (a very unconvincing) Langhe Nebbiolo and Vietti (at the time I visited in June) is actively considering which if any of its Cru to produce from 2014. However, I’m sure Roberto knows exactly what he’s doing …

[Posts crossed but I’ll post this any way].

I read the following on the Barolista Blog.

We got very mixed signals from the winegrowers (those we visited grow wines, they don’t “make” wines, consequently I don’t use the term winemakers, but more on that philosophical distinction on an other occasion) about the 2014 vintage.
A very cold summer and lots of rain ruined, for the most part, the Dolcetto’s and Barbera’s, but a Indian summer rescued the Nebbiolo. Some said it is going to turn out as a very good vintage, some said average and one - > Roberto Conterno (more on that later) said it was going to one of the greatest vintages ever…
But there were also hail which destroyed the vintage for some, and Cavallotto was one of those. No Barolo’s in 2014.

The Barolo Boys In Piedmont - Part One

Underlining done by me. If Roberto believes 2014 is going to be one of the greatest vintages ever for the Francia vineyard I’m inclined to believe him.

[Ken_V]

@Nathan Smyth

So was there a 2010 Le Rocche?

Giacosa made no Barolo or Barbaresco in 2010. No one knows why.

[Andrew_Hamilton]

@Sanjay Nandurkar

@Andrew Hamilton

Yes, Yes, and Yes.

I’m definitely going to try and source a couple 2010 Monfortinos next year. I’ve already picked up the 2012 Francia. What pricing do you see for the 12 Francia? I’m comfortable with outlaying the ~$120 USD asking price from my supplier.

Have you tried any of your 2012 Francia? Just wanted to know how it stacks up compared to previous vintages?

No I have not Sanjay. In fact it’s still sitting in Italy. I’ll most likely take delivery in April 2017. I bought off the strength of the cantina and Gregory Dal Piaz’s note below.

2012 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia 14.5-15%

Explosive on the nose and rich with hints of gunpowder, middle eastern spice, small black cherry fruit, a bit of meat and peppery spice, though it tightens up quickly. Austere and classic in the mouth with ripe but powerful tannins that turn drying on the backend, then dusty with some sweetness on the long finish. The aromas of rose petal and meat juices grow with air, as the nose becomes more elegant and floral with iris and wild cherry fruit perfumes in the mouth. This too is a bit simple, very fine but without the depth of a better vintage, and showing some herbal complexity on the finish, but with the tannins just a tough and dry. 92pts

2012 Barolo

Obviously that TN isn’t glowing and yet the '12 CF still made Dal Piaz’s Top Baker’s Dozen of Barolo of 2012 list.