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November 11, 2010

My Trip to Giacomo Conterno by Andrew Cullimore

Andrew Cullimore is a Corney & Barrow customer and general wine enthusiast.

It was the last day of my 10 day long trip to Piemonte and I had arranged to visit the famous estate of Giacomo Conterno in Monforte d´Alba.  It had not been easy to actually book myself into their schedule.  I had visited at least 10 other wineries on my trip without the faintest of problems.  My visits to Bruno Giacosa and Angelo Gaja were easily accepted and I had my dates for them sorted out almost a month in advance.  Small producers such as Maria Teresa at Bartolo Mascarello and Davide at Giovanni Rosso fitted me in at short notice, no problems at all.  So why I wondered, was it so, so difficult to get Roberto Conterno or his right hand lady Erika to fix a date or time to meet me.  I had started to think that it was because they have many better things to do than put up with some English oenophile on his October jaunt to Italy´s North West.  After a quick succession of emails I did however get myself slotted into their schedule, probably, I thought, between the important American importers, some famous wine critic and hoards of Chinese multi millionaires.  It suddenly dawned on me that I might not need to write off the morning as they probably would want me to leave within 15 minutes of having arrived!  
 
Well, how wrong was I!  Firstly, I had expected something a bit grander, not necessarily a castle but something a bit less non descript, a box kind of construction with yellow walls behind rather fine wrought iron gates.  I parked my car next to the rather surprised looking guard dog and walked towards what I presumed wrongly must be the back entrance.  I was met by Erika and she apologised many times for making it so difficult for me to visit them, it was because ´I don’t always know where Roberto is, and he doesn’t know where he is going to be, this time of year is difficult with all the picking and delivery of grapes and then fermentation´ she said rather innocently.  I did say that they could have arranged someone other than the wine maker and current head of the Conterno dynasty to meet me, after all I´m only here on holiday, I´m not really that important. ‘Well there isn’t anyone else´ Erika replied ‘only me and Roberto, only Roberto doesn´t speak English!’.  It was then, rather like one of those clearing of the mist kind of moments, where it all suddenly becomes crystal clear, the only reason why it was so difficult to pin them down on a time or date to meet me was because they were all so busy, not with other people like me or more important buyers, critics or Chinese Millionaires, but just simply because he is effectively a one man band and devotes all his time to his wines.
 
We sat in the rather stark looking tasting room waiting for Roberto to arrive.  When he did he looked a bit rushed off his feet but quickly instructed me to follow and he would give me a bit of a tour.  Out of the tasting room on the same level is the bottling line and down the steps underneath the tasting room is the barrel (or Botti) cellar and fermentation cellar.  Really that is it, no great underground caverns filled with superlative older vintages or, as in Angelo Gaja’s castle, whole rooms devoted to saying how great a wine the family makes.  A very simple unsurprising winery on the surface, however under the surface that couldn´t really be further from the truth.  There were no other visitors scheduled, no American importers or buyers from China, all the work is focused on the wine in the bottle.  
 
The first thing that I noticed that was slightly different from most other, if not all other wineries, that I visited in Barolo was the fact that Roberto ferments all his wine in wood.  Most of the more modernist producers ferment in stainless steel whilst the more traditionalist ferment in epoxy lined cement.  The wood, Roberto explained, gives a more natural fermentation, as they are not temperature controlled and more gradual temperature changes resulting in longer fermentations and macerations, which he feels gets the most out of his grapes.  The next major difference is of course the length of time in barrel, more than all producers that I visited.  The barbera´s are given 2 years in large old wood casks and the Cascina Francia 4 years, the Monfortino normally 7 years, though in 2002 this was increased to 8.  Apart from this there is no ageing in the Conterno cellar, that is to say as soon as the wine is bottled it is sold and shipped out.
 
After the tour of the cellar we went back upstairs to taste the range of wines.  Roberto was constantly on duty it appeared, having to meet workman, check on things downstairs in the fermentation cellar and answer the telephone, it all made for a rather drawn out tasting. 
 
We tasted the barbera’s first, as he explained about their new purchase of 3 ha of vineyards in the cru called Cerretta.  This cru he explained gives a more feminine style of wine more overtly fruity and immediately pleasing.  The soil has more clay and is less calcareas than Cascina Francia also the exposures are different Cerretta more south east facing and Cascina Francia more south and south west.  Cerretta is about 3 Km before Serralunga d´Alba whilst Cascina Francia is about 3 Km past Serralunga d´Alba, closer to Monforte d´Alba.  There is about 1 ha of Barbera in the Cerretta vineyard and 2 ha or Nebbiolo.  In Cascina Francia there is around 9 ha of Nebbiolo and 5 ha of Barbera. 
 
Both Barbera´s were from the 08 vintage, the Cerretta much for forward and overtly juicy ripe black fruits, lots of cassis.  The Cascina Francia much more reserved and mineral in style, it will take longer to come around.  Both will age well though and Roberto recommended between 2 to 3 years for the Cascina Francia but it could last well up to 10 years or so.  The Cerretta could well be drunk now but would age gracefully for another 3 – 5.
 
We next tried the 2008 Langhe Nebbiolo, which is effectively a declassified Barolo as it was made from the fruit from the Cerretta vineyard.  He choose to make a Langhe Nebbiolo instead of a Barolo as he was not in charge of the vineyard from the beginning of the growing cycle and was not sufficiently happy with the results to call it a Barolo, though almost all other producers I am convinced would have done.  The Langhe Nebbiolo DOC is a rather peculiar being, that by his own admission, Roberto didn´t fully understand when he declassified his Cerretta.  In the rules of the regulation you are allowed to add up to 15% of other Langhe grapes (ie. Dolcetto or Barbera) to the wine.  All the grapes must be grown within the Barolo or Barbaresco areas (with some small added on areas) and is the only classification for a declassified Barolo or Barbaresco.  Nebbiolo d´Alba DOC on the other hand, should be in theory a lesser wine as it comes from outside the areas of Barolo and Barbaresco, however it has to be made from 100% Nebbiolo.  Effectively representing therefore a ´purer’ example of Nebbiolo than that of the declassified Baroli and Barbaresci.  This seems to me and apparently to Roberto to be utter madness.  The wine itself was very nice, with good balance lovely ripe strawberry fruit, instantly accessible but should last a few year too.  A very good Langhe Nebbiolo, possibly the best I tried on my trip.
 
The Cascina Francia 2006 is an altogether different animal.  2006 produced very classic, structured and surely long lived Baroli.  The Cascina Francia as you would imagine is possibly the most backward of all that I tried.  Notes of ripe red fruit and mineral need some coaxing from the glass.  In the mouth it is very tannic but with lovely purity and great length.  Very nice balancing acidity and an overall impression of a complete wine that is probably best left for another 10 – 15 years and will keep for 40.
 
The Monfortino 2002 is the fantastic product of an extremely problematic year.  For most producers 2002 is a year to forget, as hail caused havoc throughout the Langhe and many producers were forced to declassify or sell in bulk huge amounts of wine.  Hail however never touched the Cascina Francia vineyard and the quality was so good that they decided to only produce a Monfortino, which I believe is the first time since the 1978 vintage that this has happened.  I asked Roberto if the opinion of the press and wine consumers in general that 2002 as a low quality had affected them at all in their desicion to produce a Monfortino.  The answer was an emphatic ´no´, ´we do what we think is best´ he said ´we make the desicions based on the quality of our fruit, not on what others may think´.  The wine itself was superb, structured, long in the mouth.  Ripe red fruits, leather, mineral and balsamic touch, all wonderfully built for the future.   It will require at least 10 years, but it will be worth the wait.
 
As we said our goodbyes I was struck by the simplicity of Roberto, very straightforward in his views on many areas of viticulture and production.  Also very confident in his ability to fashion classic wines from the vineyards that he has under his control, however there is no pomposity or over confidence.  After all he is only doing what his Father and Grandfather have done before him its not like he has revolutionised anything.  He didn´t say very much about the wines we tasted, I was encouraged to give my views, which was a bit daunting, but I suppose he didn’t need to add very much as the wines spoke for themselves.  At the heart of these classic wines is the fantastic terroir of Cascina Francia, something that is never lost in any vintage.  Roberto´s job is basically to try and bring that terroir from the vineyard into the bottle.
 
Thanks to Roberto and Erika for spending so much time with me, it was a real privilege.  Thanks also to Will Hargrove at C&B for putting me in contact with them in the first place.                                        

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