Paolo Conterno

Spring and Fall are historically the ‘happy season’ for those in the wine trade. Loads of private, ‘for-the-trade’ tastings hosted by importers, distributors and organizations. Sadly, though Coronavirus has affected even our industry. VinItaly, the huge Italian trade show held every year since 1967 was cancelled this Spring. So too the largest European Trade show held in Dusseldorf, Prowein, it too was cancelled. And in New York several of our local Distributors have cancelled their Spring shows.

Fortunately, Skurnik Wines & Spirits held their annual Portfolio Tasting last week at the Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC. It was a terrific affair and a chance to find new wines and review old favorites. I headed over to Italy to see what inventory and what wines were presently available. And one of my first stops was the table of Giorgio Conterno. Giorgio is now the family winemaker and owner of the 1886 Paolo Conterno winery. I guess I am biased toward the wines from Piedmont but honestly, I rarely seem to taste a bad wine from this region. Barbera and Nebbiolo are just utterly sublime grapes and they transition so well from vineyard to bottle to table. And like Burgundy, this region of Barolo and Barbera vineyards needs to be researched thoroughly since, like Burgundy, ‘terroir’ is so important. Which is why Conterno’s wines are always in such huge demand. Of the 13 hectares he presides over, 7 lie in the historical enclave of the Ginestra Grand Cru. It is here that he makes his fabled Barolo Ginestra and Barbera D’Alba. Having the opportunity to talk to Giorgio about his land I gained another depth of understanding about why his wines are so remarkable: “It is not easy to cultivate vineyards situated on slopes of up to 38%. It requires a special kind of experience that only those who have known these lands meter by meter since their childhood can have. Nor is it easy to thin out plants if you have not seen them grow. It is not easy if you don’t have clearly in your mind the idea of a task begun centuries before. It is for this reason that we take care of everything in person.”

Here are my notes:

Paolo Conterno Barbera d’Asti “Bricco” 2017. Terrific fruit with a serious gritty texture. Deep ruby red, shows elegance and full body. Spice, leather, tobacco. Ripe cherry and cranberry – the unmistakable acidity given to the wine by the variety. I can see this being drunk all summer – BBQs, burgers and parties. $24

Paolo Conterno Langhe Nebbiolo A Mont 2017. Wow. Lighter in hue than the Barbera – more garnet colored. Very opulent nose – flowers and ripe picked fruit. Palate is awash with dried rose hip, lavender, tar, anise. Great depth of fruit that leaves the palate smooth and polished. Another great party summer wine. $32

Paolo Conterno Barbera d’Alba ‘La Ginestra’ 2016. This is intense. Thrilling wine. Dark, brooding, rich, opulent. Hits every taste sensational and yet the effect is so balanced. Soft, undulating, lingering tones of ripe dark fruit, smoky meat, leather and back again to that lovely sour grape flavor of the Barbera grape, right at the finish. $29

Paolo Conterno Barolo ‘Riva del Bric’ 2015. The epitome of elegant Barolo. Robust, but young, light but redolent. If it wasn’t for the expense, I would drink this every day for dinner. How do you get so much wine into a bottle and fill it with so much flavor? Nature is a miracle. This is utterly divine. $60

In much smaller quantities there are two further Barolos available – The Barolo Ginestra 2014 and the Barolo Ginestra 2015 - $89 and $95 respectively.

In consideration of the ‘utter carnage’ across global Bond and Equity markets let me see if I can make these wines a little more approachable.

1 of each $145. Call it $135. 4 wines

2 of each $290. Call it $255. 8 wines

3 of each $435. Call it $365 – that’s insane. 1 case