Barolo Riserva DOCG Monfortino 2013 Conterno

I've been closely following the 2013 Barolo Riserva Monfortino for a few years now with annual tastings of the wine from barrel at the Giacomo Conterno winery in Monforte d'Alba. The last time we saw this wine was in 2010, and I readily gave that edition a perfect 100-point score. Monfortino was not made in 2011 or 2012, so this is the next available vintage. We can expect a finished wine ready for commercial release at the tail end of 2019. My impression of the wine now (one year later from the last barrel tasting) is that it has firmed up significantly in terms of structure and backbone. You can almost hear the crunch as you bite into the fresh and fruity fiber. That unique Monfortino crunchiness makes me think we can safely extend the drinking window on this modern day Italian icon. 

Warm aromas of plums, rose petal and spices with hints of sandalwood. Some tar. Full body, dense center palate with glorious fruit and fantastic finish. Very, very polished and fine tannins. Vertical and deep. A great Monfortino. Try in 2023.

The 2013 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a huge, towering wine marked by serious fruit intensity and a backbone of firm, classically austere tannins. Certainly next to the 2014 and 2015, the sheer tannic clout of the 2013 is impossible to miss. Sage mint, tobacco and dried flower notes add striking shades of aromatic nuance, but the 2013 is ultimately distinguished by its huge, potent personality. It is sure to thrill those who own it for many decades to come. In 2013, Roberto Conterno did not bottle his Barolo Francia. Instead, he chose to use all of the fruit for the flagship Barolo Monfortino, which up until the present, he had only done once before, in 2002.