Barolo Francia 2009

The wine in this vintage

2009 was a warm, generous year in the Langhe, with a sunny summer that brought very ripe grapes and wines of rich fruit and relatively early appeal. In the 2009 Barolo Francia, however, Serralunga's limestone and Conterno's rigorous style preserved a serious frame: dark cherry and plum fruit, notes of leather, spice and earth, and firm tannins still in the process of relaxing. Robert Parker awarded it 96 points. Despite the sunny vintage, the wine remains young today and partly reserved, with considerable ageing potential; those who wait will be rewarded with a more harmonious, layered bottle.

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

• 96 Robert Parker
• 94 Wine Spectator

Technical details

Producer

Giacomo Conterno

Region

Piemonte

Country

Italia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2009

When to drink

Not yet at its peak

Critics' average

95/100

Sizes

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

eWibe code

0560209