Giacomo Conterno Barolo ‘Arione’ 2016

Roberto acquired a portion of the Arione Cru in 2015. Just under 6 Ha for 6 million euro. It is adjacent to the Francia vineyard, long responsible for both the Barolo ‘Cascina Francia’ and ‘Monfortino’ Riserva in the very southern end of Serralunga. The contours of Arione follow on directly from Francia and the soil profiles are similar with a limestone base compared to Cerretta’s clay base.

The 2016 Barolo Arione is a sort of synthesis between the Cerretta and Francia. It has the red fruit profile and floral overtones of the former with a feeling of structure that recalls the later. Arione Barolos always have a distinctly wild, feral quality strong on iron and mineral notes, which is very much the case here. Logically, the 2016 needs a bit of time to soften, but it is super-impressive. It is perhaps a bit less polished than the Francia, but it also has a phenomenally long, classically austere finish. It’s the sort of wine I would like to spend a few hours with. In 2016, there is no Monfortino, so all of the Arione wine is in this bottling, unlike 2015, when a portion was blended into Monfortino. Galloni