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Beltramo's Wines & Spirits
1540 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025

Monday-Friday: 10:00am-7:30pm
Saturday: 9:30am-7:30pm
Sunday: 10:00am-6:30pm

(650) 325-2806
(888) 710-WINE(9463)
Fax (650) 323-8450
2008 Giacomo Conterno - Barolo Cascina Francia

2008 Giacomo Conterno - Barolo Cascina Francia
Giacomo Conterno:

The ultimate and purest expression of Barolo can be found in bottles bearing the Giacomo Conterno name. In fact, they represent the ideal of traditional Barolo: rich, powerful, massively structured, and capable of long aging in bottle.

These majestic wines descend from a colossal legacy, spanning three generations of Conternos: Giacomo, Giovanni, and Roberto - in each case, the torch passing from father to son. Both Giovanni, who forged a reputation as the greatest of all Barolo producers, and now his gifted son,


But as much as, to quote Roberto Conterno, the wines belong to the generations that came before, Giacomo Conterno's most exciting era may very well be its modern one. After all, Roberto benefits from the wisdom of not only his grandfather, but his legendary father, Giovanni, by whose side he worked in the cantina for 15 years. And Roberto has shown that he not only shares his father's genius, but also his ardent devotion to tradition and history.

The Conterno crown jewel, Monfortino, is not only arguably the greatest Barolo; it was also the very first Barolo made in what has come to be known as the classic style. At the time that Roberto Conterno's grandfather Giacomo served in World War I, Barolo was generally sold in either cask or demijohn, meant for early drinking. But when Giacomo returned from the war, he decided to create a Barolo with immense aging potential. His first wine was a 1920 Barolo Riserva, and he soon adopted the name Monfortino in honor of his home village Monforte d'Alba. For the next 54 years, Giacomo - and then his son Giovanni - made Barolo in much the same way. Two Barolos were made, always from purchased grapes, the main distinction being fermentation technique and time in cask.

Both the iconic Monfortino and the glorious Cascina Francia are born of the same philosophy and, since 1978, have been sourced exclusively from the same vineyard (Cascina Francia). But there are several key differences, beginning in the vineyard, where, in years of outstanding quality, certain grapes are selected and reserved to become Monfortino. Subsequently, Monfortino undergoes an uncontrolled fermentation, at higher temperatures, for a slightly longer period, after which it sees more time in large oak casks ("botti"), approximately seven years compared with four for Cascina Francia. Monfortino's extra aging in cask, says Roberto, is a consequence of the extraordinary structure, power and concentration of the wine. Rare Wine Co. Importer
95 points Wine Advocate:

The 2008 Barolo Cascina Francia possesses gorgeous inner perfume, layers of sublime fruit and fabulous overall balance. Plums, dark cherries and licorice are followed by darker notes of graphite and tar as the wine opens up in the glass. Today, the 2008 is much less expressive than it has been the many times I have tasted it from barrel. It will be interesting to see how the 2008 develops and whether it puts on weight or remains more of a mid-weight, gracious Barolo. Either way, it is fabulous. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2048. #203Oct 2012

SKU: 06354
Your Price: $149.99
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