Giacomo Conterno Nebbiolo d'Alba Vigna Arione, Piedmont, Italy 2021

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.

"Roberto Conterno bought this parcel in Arione in 2015 and was well aware of the character and power of its fruit. The Giacomo Conterno 2021 Nebbiolo d'Alba Vigna Arione pretty much follows the same winemaking procedures as Barolo. It spends three years in large oak cask and goes to market about four months after bottling. The first vintage produced was officially 2019 (although a special charity edition was produced in 2015), with a current production of 7,000 bottles. You grasp the complexity and inner strength of Nebbiolo with lovely side notes of pressed violet, licorice and white cherry." Wine Advocate 94

"The 2021 Nebbiolo d'Alba Vigna Arione is all class. Perfumed and silky on the palate, with medium-bodied structure, the 2021 embodies the virtues of elegance and class. Crushed flowers, white pepper and mint play off a core of vibrant, red-toned fruit. What a beautiful wine this is. As a reminder, the Nebbiolo d'Alba Vigna Arione emerges from a section in Arione that is just outside the Barolo appellation. Vines here were replanted after the 2015 harvest. The Nebbiolo was vinified in wood and then spent 31 months in cask, a classic Barolo élevage." Vinous 94