Giacomo Conterno

Giacomo took over his family’s business, based in Barolo commune Monforte d’Alba, in the 1920s, and years later, in the early 1960s, passed the reins to his sons, Giovanni and Aldo. The brothers went their separate ways in 1969. Giovanni kept the family’s Giacomo Conterno estate and continued his father’s tradition of purchasing the finest grapes and making solidly traditional Barolos, which included very long maceration periods  in order to extract complexity and a strong tannic backbone in the wines, and many years ageing in large neutral oak casks. In 1974, Giovanni acquired the Cascina Francia vineyard in Serralunga d’Alba.

When Giovanni passed away in 2004, his son Roberto took over, and while having continued his father and grandfather’s traditional approaches, he has also introduced a few slightly more modern ways, including wooden vats for fermentation and large Austrian casks which he use alongside the traditional Slavonian casks for ageing the wines. The two key wines from this estate are Barolo Riserva ‘Monfortino’ and Barolo ‘Cascina Francia’.  The Monfortino is a selection of the best parcels from Cascina Francia and as befitting a Riserva, is only made in top years.  While regarded as one of the finest Barolos, and indeed Italian wines, its price often exceeds £1,000 a bottle and we believe the similar expression found in the Cascina Francia is often better value and allows wine lovers to touch a bit of Italian luxury from this fine producer.

We offer the following Barolo from Giacomo Conterno

• Giacomo Conterno Barolo ‘Monfortino’ Riserva
• Giacomo Conterno Barolo ‘Cascina Francia’