Conterno Giacomo

The Conterno family has always been "immersed" in the world of wine: the first documents even speak of 1770! But we have to go back to the 1920s to find, already then, Giacomo Conterno's desire to create a Barolo with his own name, which was recognized for its quality and longevity; at that time the term “Barolo Extra” was used. Over the decades, the name Barolo progressively established itself in the limited market of quality wines of the time, opening a truly virtuous path in the Langa among the few producers present, and from the 1950s one of Giacomo's two sons, Aldo, decided to embark on a personal journey, he founded the renowned company “Poderi Aldo Conterno” in Monforte, in the Bussia area, in 1969. Giovanni, however, remains at his father's side and is responsible for a choice that leaves an important mark in the history of the winery: the acquisition, in 1974, of 14 hectares in the Francia vineyard, in the municipality of Serralunga d'Alba; once again ahead of its time, the Conterno family thus definitively stopped purchasing grapes from third parties used to produce their own wines. Roberto has been at the helm of the company since 1988, first alongside his father Giovanni, now alone (since 2004), carrying forward the most popular company in the Langa with the same rigor, as always respecting inherited traditions. A staunch supporter of tradition, enemy of barriques, he vinifies the grapes with long macerations, in large barrels and with the winemaking methods learned from his father and grandfather. It should be remembered that the global success of the Giacomo Conterno company is inextricably linked to the superior value of its Barolo Riserva Monfortino, a wine that embodies the entire history of the "Barolist" Langa. The wording “Monfortino” appears for the first time on a bottle from the Giacomo Conterno company in a “Barolo Extra” from 1924, to remember the winery's residence, Monforte d'Alba. Since 1978, Monfortino has been born exclusively from the 14 hectares of the "Francia" vineyard in Serralunga, where three wines are made, the Barolo Riserva “Monfortino”, the Barolo “Cascina Francia” and the Barbera d'Alba “Cascina Francia”. The grapes used to produce the legendary "Monfortino" generally always come from the same vineyard plots, one bunch per plant, and once vinified they are aged in a single barrel with a capacity of 55 hectoliters. Here the wine ages for up to 82 months. This is the life and work philosophy of the Conterno family, living legends of Italian wine.