Barolo Francia 2018

The wine in this vintage

After a very wet spring and a hot summer, 2018 in the Langhe produced more open, less structured Barolos than the great classic vintages, rewarding those who sorted rigorously. The 2018 Barolo Francia works in this register with great elegance: juicy red fruit, rose, aromatic herbs and a mineral note, silky, fine tannins and a harmonious, already well-integrated palate. Wine Advocate and Antonio Galloni both rated it 95 points. A more accessible, luminous Francia, it is already highly enjoyable and can still be cellared for several years, gradually evolving towards more tertiary notes.

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

• 95 Robert Parker
• 95 Antonio Galloni

Technical details

Producer

Giacomo Conterno

Region

Piemonte

Country

Italia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2018

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

95/100

Sizes

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

eWibe code

0560218