NV Barolo Monfortino Vertical (1988, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015 – ex Rino Fontana)

1988 Barolo Riserva Monfortino The 1988 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a gorgeous start to this night. Drinking it is like stepping back in time. A glorious, old-school Barolo, the 1988 is also in a great spot for drinking now. Smoke, leather, grilled herbs and brown spices open up in the bouquet. Muscular tannins make themselves felt as they wrap around a core of dark cherry/plum fruit. I have never truly loved the 1988, as it has always been a bit rustic, but this is as good as it gets. 95Pts Antonio Galloni 1993 Barolo Riserva Monfortino Conterno's 1993 Barolo Riserva Monfortino has developed into a sensual Barolo. The tannins have now melted away, and that has allowed the fruit to really come forward. Dark plum, spice, tobacco and licorice linger nicely. Best of all, the 1993 has enough pedigree to drink well for another two decades, maybe more. 94Pts Antonio Galloni 1995 Barolo Riserva Monfortino The 1995 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is another potent, old-school Monfortino. Over the last few years it has entered a gorgeous plateau of early maturity. Dried herbs, licorice, tar, leather and dried rose petal all open in the glass. The 1995 is burly and powerful, yet also the sort of wine that is compelling in its allure. 96Pts Antonio Galloni 1997 Barolo Riserva Monfortino The 1997 Barolo Riserva Monfortino (magnum) is the first wine in this tasting that I started to get to know when it wos in cask. Back then it was unbelievably unctuous and exotic. Today, it is all that, and more. Red cherry jam, mocha, licorice, sweet rose petal and leather are some of many notes that open in the glass, but ultimately the 1997 is not a wine that is drunk, but one that is enjoyed as a total sensory overload. 98Pts Antonio Galloni 1998 Barolo Riserva Monfortino The 1998 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is still young, especially from magnum, but it is a wine that I am enjoying more of late. It really needed a number of years, although it remains raw and not fully complete just yet. Burly, powerful and tannic, the 1998 reminds me a bit of the 1995 in that it is a Monfortino that still needs bottle age to be at its most expressive. 96+Pts Antonio Galloni 2000 Barolo Riserva Monfortino I am thrilled to see how well the 2000 Barolo Riserva Monfortino shows in this tasting, as it is a vintage that can sometimes get lost between the 1999 and 2002 in this era. My impression is that the 2000 still hasn't truly shown its true potential just yet. On this night it remains closed and not particularly expressive. The seductive qualities the 2000 showed as a young wine aren't especially apparent today. Time in the glass brings out pretty floral overtones. Overall, the 2000 comes across as a Monfortino that is more finesse than power. Even so, readers have to be patient here. 97+Pts Antonio Galloni 2008 Barolo Riserva Monfortino The 2008 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is one of my favorite recent vintages. It is the product of an exceptionally long and cool growing year marked by a highly unusual cold snap at the very end of the season. Those conditions yielded a Monfortino that is pure silkiness and sensuality, with striking aromatic presence and exceptional balance. There is an exoticism to the 2008 that is impossible to miss, while the impression is of tannins that are virtually non-existent. The 2008 was such a complete wine right from the outset that Roberto Conterno decided to bottle it with six years in cask as opposed to the more typical seven. 99Pts Antonio Galloni 2013 Barolo Riserva Monfortino The 2013 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is another huge, tannic wine. Crystalline and so precise, the 2013 is deceptive, as the aromatics are quite inviting, until masses of tannin hit the palate. Tar, rose petal, spice and cedar open with a bit of time in the glass, showing just enough to make the wine pleasurable today. Even so, the best is clearly yet to come Patience will be rewarded. 99Pts Antonio Galloni 2014 Barolo Riserva Monfortino Another last minute addition to this tasting, the 2014 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a preview, as it had not been officially released at the time of this tasting. In fact, guests at this dinner were the very first people to taste the 2014 outside the winery. And in magnum! I am glad they did, because the 2014 has subsequently closed down, at least in magnum. The 2014 spent a year less in barrel (six years instead of seven), but its release date was the same as always, as if it had spent seven years in cask. That means that by the time it arrived in the market, it had been in bottle for more than a year, which is quite unusual, as the wine is usually bottled in the summer and then shipped immediately a few months later. I always advise readers who want to taste Monfortino young to do so right upon release, before the wine starts to shut down. That was virtually impossible with the 2014. But on this night, it was spectacular, with that intoxicating mix of soaring aromatics, silky fruit and nearly imperceptible tannins. I don't know what else I can say. 100Pts Anotnio Galloni 2015 Barolo Riserva Monfortino The 2015 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is magical. This is the first vintage that includes fruit from Arione, so the 2015 is 80% Francia and 20% Arione. That marks a return to Monfortino as a multi-vineyard wine, which it mostly was until 1978, when the first Monfortino from Francia was made. The combination of sites works so well. I remember tasting the 2015 as separate components and seeing what exactly the Arione piece adds, and that is aromatic explosiveness, texture and breadth. Rose petal, mint, sage, tobacco and cedar lend complexity. More than anything else, though, I am blown away by how utterly delicious the 2015 is. Of course, the 2015 will be better in time, but its pedigree is plainly evident today. Roberto Conterno gave the 2015 just five years in cask, the shortest time in wood for any Monfortino in recent memory, maybe ever. Like most producers around the world, Conterno is thinking deeply about what the optimal period of time in oak is. As for the 2015, it is a flat-out stunner in every way. 99Pts Antonio Galloni