Giacomo Conterno, Barolo Riserva DOCG, Italy, 1964

Overview of the Wine
For 45 years, until his death in 2004, Giovanni Conterno forged a reputation as perhaps the greatest of all Barolo producers, irrespective of style. The wines he made were the quintessence of “traditional” Barolo: rich, powerful, massively structured, and capable of long development in bottle.

For many, his heroic Monfortino—the product of wild temperature swings during fermentation and 6 to 8 years in barrel—is the most perfect expression of the Nebbiolo grape. As for his glorious Barolo Cascina Francia, it has long been the benchmark against which other producers measure their own efforts.

Giovanni left the world many great vintages of Barolo, including 1964, 1971, 1978, 1985, 1990, 1996, 1999 and 2001. But possibly his greatest legacy was to hand over his important work to his gifted son Roberto. A brilliant winemaker in his own right, Roberto not only shares his father’s gifts but is equally determined to uphold his family’s traditions. He could have followed other young Langhe winemakers into modernism, but he never will. In his words, the wines of Giacomo Conterno will always belong to the generations that came before him.

Organic.

Winemaker
Roberto Conterno

Grape / Blend
Nebbiolo

Origin
Piedmont, Italy

Tasting Notes
Red fruit characteristics with powerful flavor. Pairs well with braised meats and steak. 

92 Points - Vinous
The 1964 Barolo shows more fruit, depth and richness, with sweet mentholated notes that add complexity to the spiced fruit. (AG)

91 Points - John Gilman
For whatever reason, the last couple of bottles of the 1964 Barolo Normale from Giovanni Conterno that I have crossed paths with have been in the very good, but not great camp. Ironically, half a dozen years ago, I had a small pile of bottles of the 1964, all of which were in splendid shape and superior to the most recent bottles I have tasted. As is so often mentioned, when one is buying bottles at this age, particularly in the realm of Barolo, it is luck of the draw on how older bottles were stored. In any event, this bottle was very good and better than the last one I wrote up back in October of 2010, as it offered up a bit more vibrancy than the last bottle, but still not the profound depth and purity of my earlier cache. The bouquet is a lovely and quite ready blend of desiccated cherries, gamebird, road tar, forest floor, oregano and lovely spice tones in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, long and tangy, with fine mid-palate concentration, modest tannins and lovely length and grip on the fairly tarry finish.

Product size: 750ml