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- 2002 Giacomo Conterno, Barolo, Monfortino Riserva
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2002 Giacomo Conterno, Barolo, Monfortino Riserva
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Start Your Wine Collection with 2002 Giacomo Conterno, Barolo, Monfortino Riserva
Begin your portfolio with a prestigious wine that has a history of growth.- Enjoy fully managed, secure storage facilities with insurance coverage.
- Get expert advice on when to hold and when to sell.
Vinovest 100Part of our index that tracks the 100 most investment-worthy wines in the world
11.6% of All Producers of Fine Wine
Limited ProductionLess than 500 cases made per year. Good luck finding this at your local wine store.
7.5% of All Fine Wine
Flagship WineWhat makes this estate famous? This wine is a big reason.
2.0% of All Fine WineWhy We're Buying
Giacomo Conterno’s Barolo Monfortino Riserva is only produced in exceptional vintages. 2002 was a volatile year – hail throughout the Piedmont region wiped out many grapes early in the season. However, those that survived were awarded a long, warm growing season. The result is a small amount of exceptional wine, adding to the rarity of the vintage. The 2020 Monfortino Riserva has many faucets that have continued to evolve over the last 20 years – and despite the age, freshness prevails. Herbal and floral notes are harmoniously layered with crunchy red berries, dried fruit, licorice, and earth. The wines are aged for a minimum of seven years in large casks (known as botti in Italy). These casks don’t provide traditional oak flavors (like vanilla) but create oxygen exchange that aids in overall flavor development – and this wine is not lacking in flavor or structure. Wine Spectator critic Bruce Sanderson wrote, “This is incredibly fresh, vibrant and expressive, exhibiting complex aromas...Intense and elegant at once, with finesse and structure, ending with a saline and mineral aftertaste.” The Final Sip: While it wouldn’t be complete insanity to open a bottle to enjoy now, the 2002 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva will last until at least 2040. Available quantities are small; get some bottles now to open and explore this wine’s development over the next 15 years.
Critics Scores
James Suckling
What a wine. In a year where the rainfall was more than two times the norm Giacomo really impresses. This wine is an ever evolving (even in the glass!) experience. On the nose it has fresh mint and licorice then a wave of roses, berries, and cherries. On the palate there is more of the same, tons of berries, licorice and roses. Incredibly full and ultra-velvety. This is a dense wine that does not lack depth and focus. Breathtaking balance and a incredible finish that is measured in minutes not seconds. Harmonious. Find the wine
Wine Spectator
This is incredibly fresh, vibrant and expressive, exhibiting complex aromas of red fruits, tar and licorice, with strawberry, sweet tobacco and mineral flavors. Intense and elegant at once, with finesse and structure, ending with a saline and mineral aftertaste. Try it in five years. Best from 2014 through 2040. 1,000 cases made.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Conterno's 2002 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a legend in the making, or now that it is in bottle, it may be more correct to simply say it is a legend. The late Giovanni Conterno and his son Roberto Conterno created quite a stir when they announced that they would make their Monfortino in 2002, a year in which most of the harvest in Piedmont was severely compromised by a cold summer and devastating hail in early September. But there was more. The Conternos not only announced that they would make their Monfortino in 2002 but no Barolo Cascina Francia for the first time ever in the estate’s history. In a bit of defiance towards the press, the Conternos then announced no one would be allowed to taste the wine from barrel. Over the years, this stance softened. Visitors lucky enough to visit the cellars and sample the wine from cask knew what was in store. Simply put, the 2002 Monfortino is stratospheric. A dark, imposing, but sensual wine, it flows from the glass with a breathtaking array of dried roses, autumn leaves, wild cherries, plums, new leather, espresso, licorice and spices, showing phenomenal depth, richness and balance. The tension between the luxuriousness of the fruit and the austerity of the vintage is truly captivating. I have tasted the 2002 Monfortino multiple times from barrel and bottle. At times it has reminded me of what I imagine the 1971 tasted like upon release, at other times it has seemed more similar to 1978. According to Giovanni Conterno, the 2002 reminded him of the 1971. Either way, the wine is extraordinary. The 2002 Monfortino is the result of the cold vintage that was typical of Piedmont up until the mid 1980s. In many ways, it is a throwback to wines that can’t be made anymore in Piedmont. Roberto Conterno thought so highly of the 2002 Monfortino he gave the wine an extra year in barrrel. And of course, there is one sad footnote. The world lost Giovanni Conterno to cancer in 2004, but he made sure his last Monfortino was at least equal, if not better, than his most monumental wines. There is little doubt the 2002 Monfortino will soon take its place as one of the greatest Monfortinos ever made. It is the most fitting last chapter to the life of one of the world’s greatest winemakers. As always, I suggest readers who have an interest in Monfortino taste the wine as soon as possible, as it will soon head into a period of dormancy, which in this vintage may last several decades. One of my favorite vintages for current drinking is the 1970, which still looks to have another 30 years of fine drinking ahead of it! Anticipated maturity: 2027-2052.