Conterno Weekend - a pair of older Monfortinos

As I just recently started my blog I have decided to put up some notes on a few wines that I tasted over the last couple of years. One evening came to my mind immediately and it was the first time, where I tried older Monfortino. Together with my good friend Stefan, I had 1958 Monfortino and 1974 Monfortino. The Friday where we had these wines was a monumental evening and it marked the beginning of what I still refer to as THE Conterno weekend - because not only did we have these two legendary wines, the day after we were 7 guys sharing 9 vintages of Conterno Barolos.

Well, here are my notes from that Friday evening in June 2009 - the Monfortino evening.

Stefan brought a long a bottle of 1964 Barolo Riserva from E. Pira & Figli and I contributed with a bottle of Monfortino 1958 and a bottle of Monfortino 1974.

Being the most experienced with older wines, Stefan had the honour of opening the three bottles. With great patience he managed to pull out all three corks in one piece. We enjoyed the wines over the course of the evening. It was a true treat to taste these fabulous wines.

Monfortino 1958 ready to be uncorked

Giacomo Conterno, 1958 Barolo Riserva Monfortino,

The Monfortino 58 was quite light in the colour – almost like tea. It quickly gained colour and although it had slight oxidative notes it was a true treat to drink this wines. After three hours in the glass it was really singing. It displayed coffee, iron, iodine, and truffles in the nose. In the mouth you still sensed the fruit which was supported by a tremendous structure and a sharp acidity. To my surprise it still had good tannins which again contributed to the good balance. Although the acidity was sharp it was by no means too dominating. In fact I felt the wine - after it was allowed to breathe some hours - was extremely well balanced. It was highly enjoyable to drink and it was quite amazing that the wine did not fall apart over the course of the eveing. The wine seemed to stay in the mouth as the finish was very long (30+ seconds). Even when re-tasted Saturday evening it was highly enjoyable although the oxidative notes were more apparent.

E. Pira & Figli, 1964 Barolo Riserva

The wine was beautifully fresh and vibrant. Provenance was simply excellent. Colour was ruby red and it had an extremely distinct nose of menthol. In fact it was so distinct that it reminded me of a wine Stefan brought to a tasting last year. None of us could remember which wine he had brought back then, but I went through my photos and found that it was a 1967 Barolo by E. Pira. In the mouth you also sensed the menthol, but it had cherry, red berries and it was incredibly fresh. It had good firm tannins and a vibrant acidity. The finish was also long. Although it was much fresher than the Monfortino 58, it perhaps did not have the same complexity. But it was a very, very good wine. When re-tasted Saturday evening the menthol was still present but not nearly as distinct, and the wine seemed to be in even better balance. Thank you Stefan.

Giacomo Conterno, 1974 Barolo Riserva Monfortino

This bottle did not have the best fill level (top shoulder) and the capsule was not perfect either. I therefore did not have the highest expectations. But boy was I wrong. The wine was not suffering at all. It was dark red and to begin with the nose was very tight. But it quickly blossomed in the glass. The nose became extremely complex with menthol, smoked meat and leather. In the mouth it is great. Wow I’m impressed! It has a very bright acidity, but it gets plenty of counter balance from the fruit. It has sweet cherries and flowers, but still I think it has a very austere personality. The tannins are firm, but very well integrated and the wine is in wonderful balance. I re-tasted it both Saturday and Sunday and the last glass was stunning. More than 48 hours after opening this bottle it has not let down one bit. On the contrary it has improved. The acidity and tannins are not as dominating, which allows the fruit to play a more present role. A great, great wine. It was both heads and shoulders above any other 74 Barolos I’ve had previously.