Barolo Trip, Episode 2, Monfortino for breakfast

Monfortino for Breakfast

How often in your life have you awoke to a breakfast of Barolo? I know it sounds odd, but stay with me...drinking young tannic barolo is actually quite satisfying at 900am. Fueled by Italian moca and a few eggs the situation actually feels quite natural. Darting and weaving up the hill to Monforte from Alba, the glistening sun contrasting the dark sleeping vineyards with the snow capped alps in the distance, life seems pretty good. When im in wine country this is what I do. Tour from sun up to sun down. Dart from producer to producer in search of knowledge, passion and just enough wine to keep a slight grin on my face.

My first Barolo breakfast involved none other than the famous Roberto Conterno, the producer of the famous Barolo, Monfortino. This was my second visit to the estate. I pulled off the main road in Monforte darting through a narrow alleyway down the hill to the cantina. I approached the wrought iron gate with the call box and stated my name. The gate promptly but slowly creaked open. Erica who hosted Joe and I on our last visit was here to greet me again. As I passed into the brick tasting room we caught up on the changes in our lives, including sport, business and relationships as we waited for Roberto.

This connection with guests is something I find very special within Piedmont. You are never just a number in a tasting room, you are always forming a friendship with either the family or the winemaker. Piedmont is a place of humility and acceptance. Sometimes you feel as if it is hidden behind the somewhat conservative and austere outward demeanor, but with one display of passion, knowledge or inquisitiveness towards the wines of the region and the doors of hospitality fly open like no where else in the world. I asked Fabio Conterno of Conterno Fantino about this and he responded this is who we are, and it is also our way of marketing our wines to the world. This hospitality allows us to differentiate our wines from the other wine regions of the world.

Roberto entered the room grinning cheek to cheek, far more expressive than during our last visit, and what unfolded next was reflective of his mood. Perhaps during our last visit his demeanor was more stoic because that is the way the Piedmontese are at first encounter, or perhaps it was because I was living with his first cousin, I am not sure. But to see an animated and jovial Roberto set the mood for a great tasting. I was hoping this was a sign there would be Monfortino involved, but only time would tell.

Roberto handed me a beautiful long stemmed Riedel Burgundy glass as we descended into the meticulously clean cellar. We started with Cascina Francia Barbera 2009 vs his new vineyard acquisition/bottling, Cereretta Barbera 2009, both out of Botti.

2009 was a warmer and more humid vintage during the summer months than 2008, which benefits the earlier ripening varieties of Barbera and Dolcetto. The later ripening nebbiolo relies more on the next few weeks as it needs a long cool fall to mature to full phenolic ripeness and resulting balance of acid and tannin. In 2009, the nebbiolo vineyards where vineyard managers controlled yields produced spectacular wines as the heat/humidity encouraged the vines to produce a lot of fruit requiring a strong green harvest and canopy management strategy. If the manager controlled yields early in the summer, the vine subsequently produced the right amount of fruit despite the intense growing conditions. Once the fruit was set, luckily the fall cooperated by bringing the necessary freshness to the wines.

2009 Cascina Francia Barbera- Very juicy black and red fruits. Reminds me of an extracted form of normal barbera fruit, but not a result of winery work but limited vineyard yields. There is a depth and complexity to this barbera that I do not find in other barberas. Finishes +30 seconds with multiple layers of complexity. 92-93.

2009 Cerretta Barbera- Out of barrel the cerretta is equal in quality to the Cascina Francia, but with a more exuberant and fruit forward personality. While you had to dig into the depth of the Cascina Francia, this is far more forward about who it is. 92-93

Roberto and I spoke back and forth in English and Italian. His English was notably better than our last visit, and my Italian, virtually non existent last time, was passable. We proceeded to the other side of the barrel room where 2007 Cascina Francia awaited us. 2007 was a vintage in Piedmont that new drinkers of Nebbiolo will love. In virtually every bottling I had, the tannin was no higher than medium, and the fruit extract was through the roof. Personally I think the vintage is not a classic vintage as the complex aromas that make up classic nebbiolo aromatic profiles were lost in the heat of the vintage. That being said, I do believe this vintage will be a very important vintage for new drinkers of nebbiolo as well as the American market in general as it offers the extract and accessibility that so many people want.

2007 Cascina Francia Barolo- I was a bit taken aback when I tasted this in how monochromatic and fruit focused the nose was. Ive never had a Cascina Francia like this. Sure this is still in tank, but this wine was so exuberant, I had a hard time believing it was Roberto’s. Medium tannin at best and just under med + acid. 91-92. Side note on 2007 Barolo- During my entire trip I struggled to find any Baroli that would not drink great right on release.

Switching back to English, a smile slowly emerged from the corner of Robertos mouth as he asked, “ do you want to drink some Monfortino?” My response was not necessary. We headed to a non descript barrel across the room, simply labeled Nebbiolo d’Alba. All of the barrels of Nebbiolo were labeled this way, no matter what they were destined to be in bottle, as the DOCG board had not yet tasted the wine to certify it as “Barolo.”

I have had Monfortino once before (1999) I knew what I was in for in regard to barrel tasting. When I had the 1999 it was not even close to ready. These wines wouldn’t be a. finished or b. as expressive as they are with age. The first pour of the 2004 confirmed that. I first took note of the balance of the wine, which was impeccable, fruit/tannin/acid were all in perfect proportion to one another. In addition the finish went on for minutes. I would get caught up in conversation with Roberto and then realize I was still tasting something new in this wine. This was a great lesson in what the longest lived Barolos from storied vintages taste like when young. The structure of this wine is hard to see through if you are looking for flavors, but the balance and length are there from the start. With age comes the fine ethereal aromas and emergence of fruit that traditional Barolo can bring.

2004 Monfortino -Incredible length, with a core of PURE licourice, mineral, plum, spices and cherry fruit. The purity here aligns with the forward and pure profile of other 2004s that I have tasted. This is drinking better out of barrel than the 99 out of bottle at this point. There is amazing structure here as well which will certainly allow the pure fruit to come forward as it peels back over the years. The flavor profile of this wine is almost delicate The balance is incredible here. Sweet Tannins should make this accessible for most of its life. Mind blowing length. As the wine finished it kept surprising me with new flavors around every corner. 97-100

After a lengthy discussion about Monfortino, the vineyard location and peculiarities of the vineyard, we smiled again and noting my preference for classic Italian nebbiolo vintages said, lets go taste the 2006. Monfortino is a selection of vines set within the Cascina Francia vineyard that have the best exposition and age characteristics. I have to say that out of the last 8 vintages of Barolo, the 2006 is the most exciting vintage I have tried to date. These are large scaled classic Barolos with huge tannin and acid, but very rarely did I encounter any angles to these wines as big as they were. They were structurally huge but had fruit concentration to match…these wines will take time but they are incredibly balanced and will drink well for a very long time.

2006 Monfortino- Huge internal structural balance, Perfect harmony, but massive relative to the acid and tannin in the 04. Fruit is a bit less forward here, but there is a weight and concentration that is there to balance with the acid and tannin. Seems like the fruit isn’t showing itself yet. Perhaps this is more normal for monfortino out of barrel as the 04 could have been more expressive due to either age and/or vintage character. This wine being younger struck me us “unfinished” more so than the 2004. 95-100

At the conclusion of our enlightening conversation we headed upstairs to try a finished Monfortino. Something I was not expecting. Breakfast was tasting pretty good at this point. The wine we would try was the 2002 Monfortino, and there is a story worth telling behind this wine. It is said that there are only bad wines not bad vintages and this rings true in this instance. This is Robertos favorite vintage of Monfortino along with the 1958. In 2002 this was the only wine that Roberto produced. Roberto decanted and warmed the bottle as our conversation continued. Regarding the production of Monfortino and the vintages it is produced in, Roberto said, “Monfortino is only made when it can produce what drinkers or Monfortino expect” When he says this he is referring to traditional vintages that can allow Monfortino to age gracefully over a very long period of time in a very classical/traditional way. To Roberto with Nebbiolo there is a loss of varietal character when you treat it with modern technique. His maceration times and botti use are his tools in expressing the true essence of nebbiolo from Cascina Francia. With every vintage, his goal is to express nebbiolo in as pure a way as possible. His traditionalism seemed to me a reflection of the man and the traditions he comes from, but it never struck me as stubborn or irrational at any point. There was always a reason for everything they do. I have encountered this across Piedmont along the entire spectrum of production styles. This creates more quality options for more consumers at every point along the curve. Roberto noted that Monfortino will be produced in 2004, 2006, 2008, Not sure about 2009 and definitely in 2010.

The story of 2002 Monfortino is a story or luck, an anomaly within the greater Barolo area that year. The 2002 vintage was marked by massive hail damage and constant rain, a nightmare for growers across Europe. Roberto started with a very heavy green harvest early in the season which set a very limited amount of fruit so that the plants focused on ripening a very small amount of fruit. With a little luck the hail, while decimating everything around them missed cascina francia. The low yields that were set coupled with luck set the stage for a great final two months of the growing season. For producers who had green harvested intensly and gotten lucky by missing the hail they had something to work with! Roberto refers to the 2002 as power in its pure state, something I found quite true of the wine.

2002 Monfortino- Deep color with a very expressive bouquet of licorice, plum, spices, sotto bosco and truffle. Enter with a beautiful unfolding of layers of flavor, building like a symphony to the finish. Strangely extracted in nature, soft in texture and accessible at this point, but maintaining a weight common of traditional Barolo. 96+ pts

We finished out visit speaking of balance, barrique, closing periods, the typical conversations between visitors and Barolo producers. Roberto and I spoke of sport, his cousin Niccola with whom I was staying and my passion to one day work in these hills. Perhaps someday I will participate in a vintage of Monfortino.

As I finished my visit I reflected on Roberto, and it struck me that he is a man of tradition, and while he acknowledges the quality of other wines around the world, Monforte seems to be his world. When pressed to talk about his favorite regions and wines outside of Piedmont, Robertos response was much more muted and local than many other winemakers who speak of burgundy or champagne with excitement. There is a grace and nuance to Roberto that seems to represent both the man and his wines.

As I stepped out into the cold Piedmont air, stopping momentarily as I exited the cellars, I took in the panorama of alps that encircled me. In Piedmont these mountains are always looming, always commanding a gaze and the respect that they deserve quite similar to the people that work these lands.