Recommended by the New York Times, Wine Spectator, Food & Wine, and Many More. Check out our recent press.

Award-winning SF wine shop – free local delivery & fast nationwide shipping. Learn more

Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala 2021

$23999

One of Piedmont's greatest legacy estates upholds its standard with breathtaking refinement in the 2021 Cicala. Blackberries meld with walnuts, spice, and earthy undergrowth while ultra-fine tannins and bright acidity create a framework built to evolve. Thirty days of skin contact and 28 months in large wooden vessels preserve the wine's complexity and mineral precision. Traditional Barolo at its finest—structured for the cellar, impossible to resist now.

Shipping

Every step of the journey is managed to uphold the integrity of each bottle.

  • Nationwide Access: Flat-rate shipping available to most U.S. states with delivery in 3-5 business days.
  • Temperature-Monitored Shipping: We closely monitor weather conditions and make informed decisions to ensure shipments travel safely, with insulated packaging and refrigerated transport available when required.
  • Wine-Specific Protective Packaging: Specialized materials designed to maintain label integrity and prevent breakage during transit.
  • Provenance Assured: All wines are maintained in climate-controlled conditions at our shop until the moment of dispatch.

Returns & Exchanges

We stand behind every bottle we sell.

  • If the wine is less than 10 years old and it is corked, you may return it to us for a full refund or exchange within 60 days of purchase. You must show us proof of purchase. We understand that you may not live near a shop and that it is difficult to ship open bottles of wine to us, so if there's any problem feel free to Contact Us and we'll work it out.
  • For wines older than 10 years, the consumer bears the risk of a faulty cork, but we accept returns of older bottles if the wine is faulty as a result of improper storage. Please come by the store or Contact Us if there is a problem.
  • We may, at our discretion and to the extent permitted by law, accept returns of unopened wines within 30 days of purchase if they were properly stored by the purchaser, subject to a 15% re-stocking fee.

View our complete return policy →

Have Questions?

Our team is here to help.

Hours

Monday - Friday: 11am - 8pm

Saturday: 12pm - 5pm

CLOSED SUNDAYS

Email: help@flatiron-wines.com
Phone: (415) 780-1405


Add your content here

Decanter

92 points

"Giacomo Conterno maintains that 2021 is a fantastic vintage to demonstrate differences of site. Case in point, the Cicala vineyard is separated only by forest from the nearby Colonnello and is characterised by blue calcareous clay with iron. Of the two, the 2021 Cicala is much more difficult to read at this early stage, somewhat overwhelmed by its potent structure and oak. A lifted nose eventually reveals vanilla, tobacco and even chocolate inflecting the dark cherry fruit. Very linear with slightly coarse, broad tannins, perhaps time – which is highly recommended – will allow its more subtle characteristics to emerge."

Wine Spectator

97 points

"A super-intense and perfumed Barolo, graceful and powerful, with aromas of Parma violets, citrus, leaves, lush cherries and yellow stone fruit. Full-bodied on the palate, it shows a velvety texture, ripe tannins despite the extraction, tight-knit acidity and graphite flavors. Long, lavish finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2027."

More about Aldo Conterno

Aldo was (he died in 2012) the son of Giacomo Conterno, whose estate, under Aldo's nephew Roberto Conterno, continues to make the most sought-after Barolos. The wines are beautifully pure and quite fruit-expressive, but without any excess.

Aldo was always a believer in making Barolo “friendlier”, so he shortened macerations, switched to pump-overs, and quickly became thrown into the modernist camp. But because he never abandoned Slavonian oak casks, they wines have never had that new barrique “sheen” that so marks many modern Barolo. Today many people would describe this estate as mixing tradition and innovation – kind of how you could describe virtually all of the top estates, actually.

Bussia is where they (now Aldo’s sons) make all their wines, from a blend of different sub-Crus in Bussia – simply called Bussia – to the single-vineyard bottlings Colonello, Cicala and Romirasco, and the masterpiece Riserva Gran Bussia, which is again a blend but is 70% Romirasco.

Even die-hard traditionalists tend to admit that these are wines that are very easy to love.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Nebbiolo

  • Vintage

    2021

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Traditional

  • Style

    Earthy , Rich

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Medium Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Tasting Profile


More wines from Aldo Conterno

View all