Giacomo Conterno 'Cerretta', Barolo DOCG, Italy 2020

For 45 years, until his death in 2004, Giovanni Conterno forged a reputation as perhaps the greatest of all Barolo producers, irrespective of style. The wines he made were the quintessence of “traditional” Barolo: rich, powerful, massively structured, and capable of long development in bottle. 

Giovanni left the world many great vintages of Barolo, including 1964, 1971, 1978, 1985, 1990, 1996, 1999 and 2001. But possibly his greatest legacy was to hand over his important work to his gifted son Roberto. A brilliant winemaker in his own right, Roberto not only shares his father’s gifts but is equally determined to uphold his family’s traditions. He could have followed other young Langhe winemakers into modernism, but he never will. In his words, the wines of Giacomo Conterno will always belong to the generations that came before him.

"Showing muscle and brawn, the Giacomo Conterno 2020 Barolo Cerretta stands apart thanks to its richer texture. There is more stuffing and volume in this expression from Serralunga d'Alba with layers of dark fruit, rusty nail and bitter orange marmalade (with highlights of sweetness and sourness). In the case of the Cerretta, you get an extra layer of intensity that is delivered alongside beautiful velvety tannins. That feeling reminds me of the soft skin on animal antlers. The 2020 vintage will be remembered for elegance, and 2019 is noted for its heftier structure. Roberto Conterno says that the upcoming 2021 vintage is a mix of both." Wine Advocate 97

"The 2020 Barolo Cerretta is a potent, packed wine. Today, the tannins are especially imposing and also larger in scale than the other Barolos in this range. Dark red-toned fruit, orange peel, white pepper and crushed rocks all race out of the glass. This is a wine for those with patience." Vinous 96