Apologies for not finishing this thread everyone. That said I’ve finally written up the rest of the trip to finish things off. I hope you enjoy it!
Part 10
After spending our Sunday at Cesare our focus returned to wine on the Monday morning. Even though we were staying at the Rizzi farmhouse bed and breakfast in Treiso our producer visits were all in Barolo. Staying at Rizzi was fantastic; it was only a few minutes’ drive from Alba and offered SPECTACULAR views. This is what I woke to every morning while having an espresso.
We departed Treiso and made the short drive to Monforte d’Alba for our 10am appointment at Giacomo Conterno. Visiting this producer was high on my list for the entire trip, primarily because I had never tasted a Monfortino and was very keen on having a look at one. When we arrived we were greeted by Stephanie who led us into their tasting room to wait for Roberto and for our tour to begin. Inside the tasting room were many a bottle of Conterno’s including Monfortinos. I couldn’t help but take a few pictures.
Once Roberto arrived we started the tour. The production facilities at Giacomo Conterno could easily be described as pristine; the place feels as clean as a hospital (minus the smell of course) and I every surface in the facility was in pristine condition. The bottling room could have doubled as an operating theater and I suspect no one would bat an eyelid!
After checking out the bottling line we ventured downstairs to the production facilities that are housed in the basement. The first thing you notice are multiple botti of various sizes in the room.
There was also a line of stainless tanks in the basement.
As well as numerous fermentation vats.
Roberto then pointed out the botti that contained what was destined to be the 2010 Monfortino. From how Roberto explained it the botti is labelled as Cascina Franca Barolo but this single botti would become the Monfortino.
Unfortunately Roberto felt that the 2010 Monfortino wasn’t really in a good place for tasting so we weren’t offered a barrel sample of the wine. Whilst somewhat disappointing this was understandable so instead we ascended back up the steps to the tasting room to have a look at some of Roberto’s bottled wines.
My notes on these wines are as follows.
2013 Giacomo Conterno Barbera d’Alba Ceretta - Very fruit driven nose complimented with clearly discernible structure on the nose. Very floral as well and quite aromatic in general. With more air there were even hints of spice on the nose. Palate was slightly closed, still red fruits shone through. Tannin and acid were both excellent leading to a very balanced wine.
2011 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia - Very fruit driven nose. Hints of liquorice as well. On the palate the first thing that was noticeable was the powder fine tannin. So much tannic structure in fact that the acid almost takes a back seat. It’s one of the most dust fine tannic wines on the front palate I’ve ever tasted. Excellent length.
2011 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Ceretta - Even more richly fruited than the Francia. Supremely structured but with more acid when compared to the Francia. The tannins aren’t as fine as the Francia but are very present. Breathes up nicely with more fruit aromatics in glass.
2008 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino - The nose on the Monfortino immediately leaps from the glass with incredible fruit purity. Very red fruited with notes of cherry. Goudron follows the fruit aromatics in the background. Rose emerges with a little time in glass. The palate was positively stunning. Elegant, fine, long, expansive, with superfine tannin and excellent acidity. With 20 minutes of air the remnants in glass gave a very distinctive dark chocolate note on the nose. I was completely blown away by the Monfortino. I expected a young and unforgiving Barolo and instead I got elegance and grace. Truly a stunning wine.
After sitting over our empty Monfortino glasses a little longer we said our goodbyes to Roberto and Stephanie and left the Cantina. Before leaving though we took a few photos of the surrounding area from the driveway. It’s a gorgeous part of the world for sure.
Monforte d’Alba
Podere Rocche dei Manzoni with the Alps in the background.
After our tasting at Conterno we were well and truly ready for a proper meal. So we made our way to La Coccinella for a lunch. As many of you know this restaurant is run by three brothers who are very serious about Piedmotese foods assembled with local ingredients. About the only complaint I could muster is that we had this meal the day after Ristorante da Cesare. Still, the food was excellent, and the wine was positively sublime. Upon arrival Allessandro seated us and we ordered a 2013 Giacomo Conterno Barbera d’Alba Cerretta for the table as it was so enjoyable earlier that morning. The cork was pulled and glasses were poured.
A couple months before our booking Cos had contacted La Coccinella with regards to putting aside a bottle of wine for us off their Aged Wine list that’s available online. Unfortunately for us the response we received was that it had been sold the week before our enquiry and they hadn’t had the time to remove it from the list. I mention this now because after we had the Conterno Barbera in glass Allessandro pulled Cos aside and whispered to him that he was able to secure a bottle of the wine we were after when we initially made the booking. For a moment Cos was somewhat confused but quickly put together what it meant, specifically we were being given an opportunity to have a 1978 Cantina Mascarello Barolo with our meal! As mentioned before Cos is a huge Bartolo Mascarello Barolo fan, as am I. Furthermore 1978 is my birth year so it seemed only logical pull the trigger. A quick table conversation ensued, designated driver duties were shifted, and I was back in the passenger seat. Hazaa!
So Allessandro brought a little table out to ours and began the process of opening and decanting the wine. This was a quite a sight to behold, Allessandro’s deft ability to open and cleanly decant the wine with his homemade durandesque tool was impressive to watch.
1978 Cantina Mascarello Barolo - Beautiful orange/pink tinge on the rim of the glass. Bouquet originally dominated with leather and more generally aged wine notes. With a bit of air roses and a hint of VA emerge. With even more time notes of balsamic, meat, sage, mint, and other herbs coaxed their way out of the glass. The palate was impeccable, just stunning. Vinous sweetness, acidity, fully resolved tannin, long and silky. Incredible length in fact. A superb aged Barolo either nearing or at its apogee. My wine of the trip.
Safe to say a few bottles of Monfortino, Cantina Mascarello, and even a cheeky Bordeaux have been consumed at La Coccinella.
Now, onto the food. I didn’t take individual notes on the dishes but safe to say they were all excellent!
Finally as we were settling our bill I caught something familiar out of the corner of my eye. Repast Edition 4 was sitting out in clear view. I chuckled and mentioned to Allessandro I had the same issue back in our B&B in Treiso. He smiled and sheepishly commented that he was humbled to be included in a publication that also included a visit to DRC. We then had a discussion about Jeremy, Heidi, and their enthusiasm for wine. Safe to say the Holmes family has left a very good impression on the brothers that run La Coccinella.
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