Barolo Monfortino Riserva 2005

The wine in this vintage

2005 in the Langhe was a cooler, more irregular vintage, with rain around harvest that demanded care and selection; the wines are often more slender and aromatic than powerful. The 2005 Barolo Monfortino Riserva interprets the season with an elegant, vertical profile: rose, cherry, dried herbs, spice and mineral notes, a taut palate and tannins still assertive but fine-grained. Robert Parker gave it 96 points. It is not the most opulent Monfortino, but its purity and precision are compelling. It still seems tight and some way from its peak, and deserves further rest in the cellar to express itself fully.

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
• 17.5/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Giacomo Conterno

Region

Piemonte

Country

Italia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2005

When to drink

Not yet at its peak

Critics' average

96/100

Sizes

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

eWibe code

0560105