Barolo Arione 2020

The wine in this vintage

2020 was a warm but balanced year, with well-spread rainfall and steady ripening that yielded harmonious Barolos with juicy fruit and rounded tannins. The 2020 Barolo Arione captures its brightest side: aromas of strawberry, cherry, rose and blood orange, a broad, silky palate and a mineral backbone that speaks of Serralunga's terroir. The structure is solid but never rigid, and the integration of fruit and tannin is already striking. Antonio Galloni scored it 97 points, among the cru's finest efforts. Young and vibrant today, and enjoyable even now, it will show its best with a few more years in the cellar.

The producer · Giacomo Conterno

Few names embody classic Barolo as completely as Giacomo Conterno. The story begins in Monforte d'Alba in the early twentieth century: Giacomo founded the business, his son Giovanni bottled the first Barolos, and his grandson, another Giacomo, created Monfortino in the 1920s, a long-aged selection that would become Italy's most legendary wine. In 1974 the family bought Cascina Francia in Serralunga d'Alba, a limestone amphitheatre that has supplied both the Barolo Francia and Monfortino ever since. Roberto Conterno, who joined in 1988 and now runs the estate, has added Cerretta and, in 2015, Arione, the cru bordering Francia, as well as the Nervi estate in Gattinara. The approach is uncompromisingly traditional: low yields, native yeasts, long macerations and ageing in large oak casks. The results are austere, profound Barolos built to last for decades, crafted with a near-obsessive precision that has made the house an absolute reference for collectors and Nebbiolo lovers worldwide.

Critics' scores

• 97 Antonio Galloni

Technical details

Producer

Giacomo Conterno

Region

Piemonte

Country

Italia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2020

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

97/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0560320