1971 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Speciale Monfortino
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Tasting notes
The 1971 Monfortino is a heady, exotic beauty. Sugars were high that year, and that comes through in the wine’s exotic personality. Sweet floral, spiced and mentholated notes caress the palate, showing the textural weight and richness of a year with elevated maturity by the standards of the time. Magnificent.
Critic scores
The Wine Advocate
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
As good as the older wines are, the 1971 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is just insanely beautiful. Still deeply colored and intense to the core, the 1971 delivers a classic Monfortino experience. Layers of dark, mineral-infused fruit flow across the palate in a deep, muscular Monfortino endowed with stunning depth. The 1971 shows why it is one of the all-time greats. This is a mind-blowing bottle.
We tasted two bottles of the 1971 Barolo, neither of which I felt was representative of the heights this wine is capable of. That was soon forgotten when the 1971 Barolo Riserva Monfortino was served. For many tasters, including me, this was the wine of the night. Everything was simply in perfect place. Expressive aromatics, beautifully delineated, vibrant fruit and finessed tannins came together in virtuosic display of class. This was an emotional, riveting bottle that left most people in the room shaking their heads with bewilderment.
The 1971 Barolo Riserva Speciale Monfortino is powerful and sinewy as it flows across the palate with layers of intensely perfumed red fruit. This is a magical bottle.
About the producer
Giacomo Conterno is arguably Barolo’s most celebrated estate. While most famous for its Monfortino Riserva, the quality found in every bottling of Nebbiolo and Barbera at this address makes them a benchmark producer for both varieties.