It must be nice to be universally regarded as the greatest wine producer in all of Italy! In the old days, Conterno did what many Barolo producers did back then, and they purchased grapes. But... Read More

It must be nice to be universally regarded as the greatest wine producer in all of Italy! In the old days, Conterno did what many Barolo producers did back then, and they purchased grapes. But since the 1970s they have shifted gears and have focused instead on acquiring a collection of amazing vineyards in Serralunga and producing wines exclusively from their own grapes. In 1974, Giovanni Conterno acquired Cascina Francia. For a while, it looked like they would just stick with that monopole vineyard. But his son Robert has proven to be ambitious: he acquired land in Cerretta in 2008 and then a sizable chunk of Arione in 2015. He produces single vineyard Barolos from all three sites, plus the great Monfortino, which going forward will blend Francia with neighboring Arione.

Given that Monfortino on release now costs more than $1000 per bottle, it’s easy to dismiss Conterno as an overrated producer of trophies for rich people. Perhaps those of us who lack the means should content ourselves with such a sentiment, but truth be told it is off the mark. Monfortino is the greatest wine of Italy. There are plenty of less worthy French wines that cost far more. This may be rich people’s wine, but it’s really good rich people’s wine.