Barolo Francia 2020

The wine in this vintage

2020 was a warm vintage without excess, with timely rainfall and steady ripening that favoured balanced Barolos with juicy fruit and soft tannins. In the 2020 Barolo Francia the Serralunga cru expresses itself harmoniously: ripe cherry, raspberry, rose, forest floor and spice, a full, velvety palate and the mineral tension that defines the vineyard. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Galloni agree on 95 points. Still young and very much developing, it is already pleasurable in its fruit-forward exuberance, but can be left to rest in the cellar to refine its texture and gain depth.

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

2020

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

95/100

Sizes

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

eWibe code

0560220