2003 Barolo Cascina Francia

Good medium red with an amber rim. Fresh aromas of raspberry and nutty oak, with some surprising minerality for the vintage ("but 1997 is more minerally," says Conterno). Fat, sweet and rich if not particularly complex, with flavors of raspberry, strawberry and minerals and an absence of green elements. Still, this does not show the normal verve of Barolo from this estate. The tannins are a tad dry. "Not complex but easy to drink," says Conterno. "It's a nice wine for Barolo beginners." Conterno told me he did not start harvesting nebbiolo in 2003 until October 8, and even then there was only moderate phenolic ripeness.

The 2003 Barolo Cascina Francia is a remarkable wine for the vintage. This deep, powerful Barolo reveals awesome richness and an almost liqueur-like quality to its fruit that is balanced by the chalky mineral notes that provide freshness on the finish and help convey an impression of notable balance. In 2003 there is no Monfortino, and the Cascina Francia surely benefits from the addition of that juice which is mostly felt in the wine’s depth. Resisting the temptation to harvest too early, Roberto Conterno waited until October 8 to start picking in his Cascina Francia vineyard, long after most producers had already brought the fruit in. He had the benefit of the late September rains that helped restore at least a little freshness to the fruit, and as a result his 2003 Cascina Francia doesn’t have the aggressive tannins that plague so many wines. Simply put, this is a stunning Barolo made all the more notable by the challenging conditions the vintage presented. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2023. This is another set of superb releases from Giacomo Conterno one of the bastions of traditionally made Barolos. While Conterno’s wines have often been profound, in recent vintages the estate has found another level of finesse that was sometimes missing in the wines. It is hard to say if that is because of a general trend towards warmer vintages, the estate’s focus on making just three wines, or small improvements in vineyard and cellar work, but the fact remains that over the past few vintages Roberto Conterno has produced the best and most consistently outstanding wines in his venerable firm’s long history. The wines he has in barrel amply confirm this very positive trend. Importers: Doug Polaner, Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484

The 2003 Barolo Cascina Francia is a remarkable wine for the vintage. this deep, powerful Barolo reveals awesome richness and an almost liqueur-like quality to its fruit that is balanced by the chalky mineral notes that provide freshness on the fin ish and help convey an impression of notable balance. In 2003 there is no Monfortino, and the Cascina Francia surely benefits from the addition of that juice whichis mostly felt in the wine's depth. Res isting the temptation to harvest too early, Roberto Conterno waited until October 8 to start picking in his Cascina Francia vineyard, long after most producers had already brought the fruit in. He had the benefit of the late September rains that helped restore at least a little freshness to the fruit, and as a result his 2003 Cascina Francia doesn't have the aggressive tannins that plague so many wines. Simply put, this is a stunning Barolo made all the more notable by the challenging conditions the vintage presented.