The Diego Conterno story is like a lot of others we’ve heard as the Barolo and Barbaresco regions commercially developed. Coming from a branch of the well-known Conterno family tree, planted firmly in the area surrounding the Barolo village of Monforte d’Alba, Diego apprenticed himself at a young age to one of the few estates actually producing wine in those days- Prunotto. At Prunotto, under the tutelage of famed Barolo luminary Beppe Colla, Conterno learned his trade before, in 1982, leaving to start his own winery with his cousins. He worked with them at Conterno-Fantino for nearly two decades, earning a great reputation for the wines he made. But, as often happens in family situations of this nature, he fell out over stylistic (and other, more familial) concerns and, ultimately, in 2000, decided to hang out his own shingle using the vines he took when leaving the partnership and a few others he was able to later obtain. These vineyards are all scattered around his native Monforte region, including a five-acre parcel within the famed Ginestra MGA, one of the top climats in Barolo, along with vines in Bricco San Pietro and San Giovanni. One of main points of contention at Conterno-Fantino was his colleagues’ desire to follow the modernist trend so prevalent at the time, while Diego favored producing wines in the more traditional manner, employing longer fermentations and maceration times and aging the wines only in larger sized wooden casks rather than smaller French oak barrels. Diego now 87, works with his son Stefano to produce small amounts of several single-vineyard Barolos and two blended Barolos, one solely from his top vines in Ginestra and sub-crus of Vigna Pajana and Ciabot Mentin- vineyards they share, notably, with the famous modernist, the late, great Domenico Clerico. Diego vinifies the three wines separately and ages them for 30 months, then blends them together into a single cement tank before bottling and giving them another year in the cellar before selling. The 2019 Comune di Monforte (A wine from the single commune of Monforte) is from an outstanding vintage and shows what makes the Ginestra MGA one of the best in all of Barolo. Its aromatics are built on iron-y mineral, dried herbs, cinnamon, camphor and beef bouillon, all signatures of the complex overlays of the old, compact soils of this part of Monforte. We loved its immediacy, its depth and the layers of dried orange peel, hot smoky rock and aniseed, all swirling within a compact core of cherry compote fruit. This is the class of Ginestra, and a wonderful testament to the near miraculous combination of old Nebbiolo vines and terroir. Drink it tonight with complex, cooked-out braises, roasts and pasta sauces or wait until it reaches that magical decade mark in 2029 to see it at its best! 

Validation Department:

Jeb Dunnuck: Lifted with blood orange citrus, the 2019 Barolo Del Comune Di Monforte D'Alba is spiced with clove, menthol, and cherry. It is medium to full bodied, with fine tannins, a fresh spine of acidity, and raspberry, dusty earth, and fresh peach. I love the balance of its structure and its refined texture. This is an outstanding effort to drink 2024-2044. 95 points