Product information

Poderi Aldo Conterno ‘Romirasco’ Cru Barolo 2013

Nebbiolo from Bussia, Monforte d'Alba, Piedmont, Italy

$500

$485ea in any 3+
$470ea in any 6+
Closure: Cork

Description

The stunning 2013 Barolo Bussia Romirasco represents a stylistic blend between the elegance of Monforte d’Alba and the brooding power of Serralunga d’Alba. These are magnesium-rich soils mixed with limestone and clay. Romirasco is also home to some of the estate’s oldest vines at 55-years-old on average. This beautiful wine opens to a dark and rich garnet color that comes from the concentrated fruit produced by these old plants. The bouquet is laced with mineral and iodine-like nuances with rust and iron. It comes across as rich and intense and the mouthfeel is slightly softer, but denser overall. The wine ends with long balsam tones of rosemary and dried ginger.

Monica Larner

Out of stock

Check out all of the wines by Poderi Aldo Conterno

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

 

Counted by Giacomo Conterno as their most important vineyards. Known for distinct spice and complex soil types. The oldest vines of the estate rest in this vineyards. Romirasco perhaps the most ageable in Giacomo’s opinion.

VINEYARD: “Romirasco” vineyard, in Bussia (Monforte d’Alba)
NOTES: the vineyard “Romirasco” is about 50-55 years old and the vines are replanted from time to time. The main variety of Nebbiolo is Lampia and its rootstock is Rupestris du Lot.

Back in 2005, during my first trip to Italy, I spotted a bottle of Aldo Conterno on the list of fine restaurant in Turin, just to the north of Barolo. As the cork was pulled an insane aroma released that was easily sensed across the table.

From that point I was hooked. Over the following years I’ve devoured bottles across decades. The elegance and finesse of these wines is spectacular. When you see comments of flavours lingering for minutes, they are no exaggeration!

Poderi Aldo Conterno is one of the great estates.

 

“Like tasting young Romanée-Conti” James Suckling on the 2005 Granbussia (available in magnum)

About Aldo Conterno

Poderi Aldo Conterno is steeped in the history of Barolo. Giacomo Conterno, producer of the famed Barolo Riserva, Monfortino, and, Barolo Cascina Francia, was run by Giacomo’s son’s, Giovani and Aldo, until 1969 when Aldo went his own way, founding Poderi Aldo Conterno.Whilst having differing winemaking philosophies was at the root of the move. They share a commonality, in the desire to make wines that are a great expression of the vineyard, without the interference of small new oak. Aldo Conterno stated, “Vanilla, toast, spice and sweet tannins don’t belong in Barolo”.

The two brothers, Barolista to the core, have undoubtedly gone on to build to of the greatest estates in Barolo.

Aldo Conterno’s wines balance, age in large old oak, Botti, and, stainless to bring poised wines to lovers of great Barolo.

Aldo’s son, Giacomo, speaks to their continued drive to raise the bar. The estate has gone from 200,000 bottles in the 1980’s to around 80,000 today from the same, 25 hectares of vineyard. Combined with this skin contact has increased to 5-6 weeks. This for me is a sign that the depth of fruit has increased, enabling or perhaps requiring the extended skin contact to tame it and further enhance the mouthfeel of the tannins. Romirasco perhaps the most ageable in Giacomo’s opinion.

Technique aside, Aldo Conterno’s wines are truly wines of incredible beauty.

SPECIES OF VINE: Nebbiolo, Michet and Lampia varieties.
HARVEST: manual, with grapes selection in the vineyard.
TIME OF HARVEST: mid-October.
VINIFICATION: red, with skin contact inside stainless steel vats.
VINIFICATION TIME: the must stays on contact with the skins for 4-5 weeks: during this time the alcoholic fermentation gets fully complete.
VINIFICATION TEMPERATURES: changeable, with highest peaks of 32 degrees centigrades.
CELLAR REFINING: The new wine is decanted several times before transfer to oak casks where it is aged and refined.

In Giacomo’s opinion, his Romirasco perhaps the most ageable in Giacomo’s opinion.

It is these three Cru’s that are bottle separately. The name Granbussia was created by Aldo for his Riserva, a blend of the best parcels of his three Cru’s. It’s typically a blend of 70% Romirasco, 15% Cicala and 15% Colenello.

Around 600 cases of Granbussia are produced, and, only in years deemed to be of outstanding quality.

The 2013 Vintage in Barolo

2013 has proved a strong vintage making wonderfully poised wines. Sophistication of tannins being just one of the hallmarks of the year.

I’m well known for bagging the crap out of vintage charts. Never seen a good one, until now. Scoring a wine range with just one dimmension is a waste of time, particularly when it covers an area like South East Australia AKA NSW, Vic & SA.

I’ve finally seen one that shows careful consideration and merits the same.

Not surprisingly it’s Giuseppe Vajra’s behind it. It’s only for the 10km x 15km Barolo region.

Presenting 2 spectrums, and 3 vintage descriptors, it’s designed to give an insight into the last 20 years in Barolo.  It simply highlights the key elements of Barolo with enough detail to add context.
Reflecting on the wines in the Uber home I flicked to this chart, it all made sense. F#@k Me! A vintage chart that actually added real value.

The baseline in Barolo has lifted over the last 30 years. Dud years are less of an issue. Vignerons are much further down the long and winding road of understanding how to manage vineyards and fruit in any given, climate change impacted year.  Now it’s more a case of which years to drink early and which years to hold.

Perhaps that would be 6 dimension to add to Giuseppe’s chart! It could only be an extreme generalisation given just how much winemaking choices impact the life span of any wine.

Maybe one day we’ll see this format used for other regions and wine types.

Click to enlarge 🔎

Where in the World is Poderi Aldo Conterno?

Aldo Conterno’s holdings rest in Bussia, a vein that runs vertically up the centre of the Barolo commune Monforte d’Alba.

His three great vineyards, Cicala, Colonello and Romirasco (sometimes referred to as Rominasco) are clustered together in the very north of Monforte.

Clockwise from left: Romirasco, Colonello, Cicala

Click to Enlarge🔍

If you have a Barolo MGA 360º subscription check out Bussia in exceptional detail.

Click to go to the Brunate Cru on Barolo MGA 360º

This 3D flyover is Epic covering each of the communes you can see just how varied and extreme the aspect of each vineyard is and how in the space of a few metres just how dramatically the change.

98 Points

Beautiful dark fruits of crushed raspberries and blueberries plus hints of champignon mushrooms and black truffles. Lavender undertones. Full and chewy with lots of tannins. Old vines give this a mossy, bark-like undertone. Needs five to six years to come around.

James Suckling

97 Points

The stunning 2013 Barolo Bussia Romirasco represents a stylistic blend between the elegance of Monforte d'Alba and the brooding power of Serralunga d'Alba. These are magnesium-rich soils mixed with limestone and clay. Romirasco is also home to some of the estate's oldest vines at 55-years-old on average. This beautiful wine opens to a dark and rich garnet color that comes from the concentrated fruit produced by these old plants. The bouquet is laced with mineral and iodine-like nuances with rust and iron. It comes across as rich and intense and the mouthfeel is slightly softer, but denser overall. The wine ends with long balsam tones of rosemary and dried ginger.

Monica Larner, Wine Advocate

Where in the world does the magic happen?

Poderi Aldo Conterno

Bussia
Monforte d'Alba
Piedmont
Italy