NEW RELEASE 98 - 100 pts!
The 6ha Conteisa vineyard with its 65-year old vines is situated in Cerequio, in the municipality of La Morra. Piedmontese for ‘quarrel’, its name tells the story of a dispute which lasted over 100 years between La Morra and Barolo for the possession of Cerequio. Aged for 30 months in oak this opulent, longlived wine features expressive floral notes with touches of sweet wild cherry and delicate aromatic herbs.
“The 2019 Barolo Conteisa is a noble wine, with angular and drying tannins, as well as more mineral expression. Notes of medicinal herbs, crushed stones, and pure cherry lead to a wine that is more restrained right now but will be fantastic. Through the palate, it has compact but wonderful concentration and a driving structure and is more herbaceous, savory, and mineral than fruity and floral. It is outstanding. Drink the 2020s while waiting for the 2019s.”
98-100 | jebdunnuck.com | May 2023
”A powerful and tannic wine with mushroom, forest flower, bark, and black tea aromas and flavors. Full and chewy. This is a young nebbiolo that needs time to soften. Better after 2029.” 94pts, James Suckling, June 2023
The Barolo wines from the 2019 vintage are classic and austere while young with firm tannins and high acidity and possess excellent aging potential.
Vintage 2019 is regarded as an excellent one for Barolo, the best since 2016, and one of the best in the last 20 years. In the right hands, 2019 has provided wines of high quality with the ability to age for many years to come. The Wine Advocate rate the vintage ‘Extraordinary’, 96/100. Audrey Frick of jebdunnuck.com states “Beginning with the 2019 vintage, this is an outstanding, classic year with linear, tension-packed wines possessing austere, compact structures that will demand bottle age. At their best, the 2019s are red-fruited and noble, angular wines with brilliant clarity and energy. Their structure is reminiscent of the 2016s, although they’re even more persistent and focused.”.
Climate and harvest: Scarce snowfalls during the winter months were the precursor to a dry spell. January and February continued to be dry with average to low temperatures. These optimal conditions helped to protect against the onset of diseases. Abundant rainfall (200 mm) with average to low temperatures (15-17°C) occurred in April and May. At the end of June, the temperatures rose sharply (from 26 degrees to 41.5°C for about 3 days) and caused stress to the plants with signs of browning appearing on the leaves. From mid-July onwards, the first significant rains set in with 200 mm falling in Barbaresco. Temperatures settled at around 26-30° degrees for the rest of the summer. More rain fell resulting in a total of 800 mm from the beginning of the year to the end of August. The soil with a high water content plus the warm temperatures allowed the phenolic ripening to progress. We started the harvest in Barbaresco at the same time as the harvest in Barolo, but the harvest was shorter in Barolo, starting at the beginning of October and finishing on October 20.
Tasting notes: Conteisa expresses the more delicate and finer notes from this vintage. A subtle, floral nose with notes of rose, and strawberry that opens to more pronounced scents of quinine and sweet smoke. The mouth shows nice body and structure with a round and full mouthfeel.
Vineyards: The Conteisa vineyard is situated in Cerequio, in the municipality of la Morra. The land, facing south, consists of clay-calcareous marls with a considerable presence of sand. Covering a surface of 6 hectares with an average altitude of 380 m above sea level. The vines are 65 years old on average.
Appellation: Barolo D.O.P.
Grape varieties: 100% Nebbiolo
Winemaking method: Fermentation and maceration for around three weeks followed by ageing in oak for 24 months.
First vintage produced 1996.
