Giacomo Conterno

History of Giacomo Conterno

The history of Giacomo Conterno dates back to the early twentieth century, in Monforte d'Alba. Upon returning from the First World War, Giacomo Conterno decided to create a Barolo capable of immense ageing, at a time when wine was mostly sold in barrels for quick consumption. In the 1920s, he thus produced one of the first Barolos bottled under the family name, christened Monfortino in homage to his home village, and became a pioneer of age-worthy Barolo.

His son Giovanni perpetuated this vision and built the estate's reputation as an absolute reference for the traditional style. A decisive turning point came in 1974, when the acquisition of the Cascina Francia vineyard in Serralunga d'Alba allowed the estate to stop buying grapes and to vinify exclusively its own fruit, from the 1978 vintage onwards. Today, Roberto Conterno runs the estate with rigour, having enriched it with the Cerretta crus in 2008 and Arione in 2015, before acquiring the historic Nervi estate in Gattinara in 2018.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Giacomo Conterno

The heart of the estate is the Cascina Francia vineyard, a single contiguous block of approximately fourteen hectares located at the southern tip of Serralunga d'Alba, south and south-west facing, on limestone soils that give the nebbiolo a late ripeness, great structure and remarkable freshness. This emblematic plot is complemented by five hectares dedicated to barbera, the source of one of the finest barberas in Piedmont.

Roberto Conterno has strengthened the estate's roots in Serralunga d'Alba, the commune he knows best, with the Cerretta and Arione crus, the latter adjoining Cascina Francia and presenting very similar pedoclimatic characteristics. Beyond the Langhe, the Nervi-Conterno estate brings twenty-seven hectares in the Gattinara appellation, in the north of Piedmont, where nebbiolo, locally known as spanna, expresses itself on volcanic soils.

Vinifications of Giacomo Conterno

Winemaking at Giacomo Conterno remains resolutely traditional, faithful to old-style Barolo. The grapes, selected on the vine, undergo long macerations of three to four weeks at controlled temperatures, followed by a very long ageing in large Slavonian oak foudres. The so-called classic Barolos age for approximately four years before bottling, while the Monfortino waits between six and seven years in foudre.

The finest grapes of each vintage are reserved for the Monfortino, produced only in exceptional years. The barberas also benefit from an ageing of approximately two years in large oak foudres, making them wines of rare longevity for this grape variety. Timeless and unaffected by trends, these powerful and structured wines often require ten to fifteen years of cellaring before revealing their full depth.

The Cuvées of Giacomo Conterno

Barolo Riserva Monfortino: a legendary cuvée and the crown jewel of the estate, produced only in exceptional vintages. Drawn from the finest grapes of Cascina Francia, supplemented since 2015 with a portion from Arione, it offers a noble austerity, a monumental structure and an almost infinite capacity for ageing.

Barolo Francia: the estate's flagship cuvée, long known as Cascina Francia and renamed Francia from the 2010 vintage onwards. Rich, deep and highly refined, it unfolds aromas of red fruit, rose, tobacco and liquorice, and serves as a benchmark for the Barolo of Serralunga.

Barolo Cerretta: from the Cerretta cru acquired in 2008, this seductive and complex Barolo reveals notes of rose petal, mint, sweet tobacco and liquorice, carried by an elegant and persistent tannic framework.

Barolo Arione: a cuvée born from the acquisition of the Arione cru in 2015, a neighbour of Cascina Francia. Powerful and refined, it expresses the full nobility of the nebbiolo from Serralunga with a great capacity for ageing.

Barbera d'Alba Francia: an exceptional barbera from Cascina Francia, aged for approximately two years in large oak foudres. Dense, floral and mineral, it ranks among the greatest and most sought-after in Piedmont.

Barbera d'Alba Cerretta: a barbera from the Cerretta cru, flavourful and deep, with fine tension and notes of black fruit, crafted with the same exacting standards as the great Barolos.

Nebbiolo d'Alba Arione: a cuvée drawn from the nebbiolo d'Alba portion of the Arione cru, offering a more accessible and immediate expression of the estate's king grape variety, in an elegant style.

Nervi-Conterno Gattinara: a Fine Wine made from spanna (nebbiolo) from the Nervi estate in Gattinara, in northern Piedmont. On volcanic soils, it reveals finesse, freshness and minerality, also offering sought-after single-vineyard crus such as Molsino and Valferana, as well as a nebbiolo rosé that completes this oenological adventure.