Giacomo Conterno: Seven Decades of Barolo Riserva Monfortino

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | DECEMBER 18, 2025

La Festa del Barolo 2024 was full of highlights. Our vertical tasting and dinner featuring Conterno’s flagship Barolo Riserva Monfortino was one of the most highly anticipated events of the weekend. It was a magical night. The wines spoke with tremendous eloquence, while our guests brought energy and enthusiasm to match.

We were happy to be back at Legacy Records, where we held many events until the restaurant closed earlier this year. Executive Chef/Proprietor Ryan Hardy prepared a stellar meal from start to finish, including Hardy’s signature lacquered duck. Wine Director Celia Erickson and Beverage Director Theo Lieberman ensured every detail of wine service was perfect. We opened all the bottles a few hours before service. Any bottles that did not meet my standards were set aside. Unfortunately, that meant we did not serve the 1958, but we had the 1964 (and some other goodies) ready to go if needed. While we can’t control all the elements, we do strive for as perfect an experience as possible. The 2015 was a last-minute addition, and a great opportunity for guests to taste the latest vintage of Monfortino, which had not been released at the time. As is our custom, wines were arranged in thematic flights.

A Brief History

First produced in 1924, Giacomo Conterno’s Barolo Riserva Monfortino has gone on to establish itself as one of the most iconic wines in the world. Early vintages were made from purchased fruit sourced from top vineyards in Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba, as was the custom at the time.

In the 1970s, Giovanni and Yvonne Conterno understood the fundamental shift taking place in Piedmont and around the world—namely that land prices were rising and that the only way to ensure quality over the long term was to own vineyards. In 1974, the Conterno family purchased Cascina Francia, a 14-hectare vineyard in Serralunga. Although cultivated predominantly with wheat at the time, vines had been planted on this site previously. Conterno replanted Cascina Francia with Dolcetto, Freisa, Barbera and Nebbiolo, the four main indigenous grapes of Piedmont. The spectacular 1978 vintage rewarded the Conternos with their first Monfortino from Cascina Francia. In time, the 1978 claimed a place for itself as one of the greatest wines ever made in any region. Giovanni Conterno turned out a series of spectacular wines in the years and decades that followed until his untimely passing in 2004.

Even during the 1980s and 1990s, as a new style of Barolo began to emerge, Conterno held to his convictions with firmness, tenacity and conviction. Times were often hard. Many of my older friends have memories of being gifted a magnum of Monfortino after a visit, which Giovanni Conterno did as a sign of appreciation and respect, traditional values of a much simpler time in Piedmont. For as long as I have followed it, which is about three decades, Monfortino has always been an expensive wine. But in my early days of buying, it was readily available. When I was in business school in the mid-2000s, I was offered an unlimited amount of 1996 and 1997 Monfortino. Finances were tight, so I only bought a few bottles of each, an act that seemed foolish and fiscally irresponsible at the time.

The Present Day

Today, Roberto Conterno continues the rich legacy of vineyard work and winemaking established by his late father, Giovanni, and grandfather, Giacomo, before him. The Conternos bottle Monfortino only in top years. From 1978 through 2014, Monfortino remained a selection of the best fruit from within Francia, but in 2015, Roberto Conterno incorporated fruit from the adjacent Arione vineyard, which he bought that year. What is evident today is that quality is higher and more consistent now than it has ever been. Winemaking is rooted in traditional concepts, but also clearly contemporary in spirit. Long fermentations are followed by extended aging in cask, although time in wood has come down in recent vintages in response to climate change and the general chemistry of today’s grapes, an example that highlights Roberto Conterno’s adaptive approach.

Reception

Chef’s Seasonal Selection of Passed Cicchetti

Dinner Menu

First

Farro Salad; Honeynut Squash, Parmigiano & Pistachio

Flight 1: To Get Started

2000, 1997, 1995 & 2004 Barolo Riserva Monfortino

The night gets off to a bang with this first flight, staring with one of the best bottles of the 2000 Monfortino I have ever had and concluding with the first 100-point Monfortino of the evening. While I am not a huge fan of scores, they do require a critic to take a specific view, and in that context, the 2004 clearly deserves its lofty rating.

Second

Cavatelli Verdi; Sausage Ragu, Pecorino & Mint

Flight 2: The Underdogs

1970, 1979, 1999 & 2002 Barolo Riserva Monfortino

This is a very fun flight of Monfortinos that had all been somewhat passed over in their early days for different reasons. Time, however, is the ultimate judge. All four wines were superb.

Third

Raviolo Doppio; Chestnut, Ricotta, Sage & Porcini

Flight 3: Modern-Day Classics

2008, 2010, 2013 & 2014 Barolo Riserva Monfortino

Tasting four young recent Monfortinos side by side is not something that happens every day. Once again, I am so struck by the profound expression of vintage in each wine. There is no way to pick a favorite here; each wine is sublime on its own. If I could only have one, however, it would be the 2010.

Fourth

Choice of: Farm Chicken; Chicories, Truffle Jus or Honey Lacquered Duck Breast; Parsnip, Poached Quince

Flight 4: Icons

1996, 1990, 1985, 1982 & 1978 Barolo Riserva Monfortino

This is probably the most anticipated flight of the evening. All five wines are spectacular. The 1978 is clearly the star. A few years ago, I would have placed the 1982 next, but I think the 1985 is aging a bit better. And then there is the spectacular 1996 and the 1990.

Fifth

Chef’s Selection of Cheeses

Flight 5: Stepping Back in Time

1971, 1967 & 1958 Barolo Riserva Monfortino

These last three wines open a door into another era at Conterno, with a young Giovanni Conterno taking over from his father, Giacomo, in the late 1950s. Sadly, our bottles of 1958 aren’t great, so we serve the 1964 in its place. The 1971 and 1967 both live up to their stellar reputations.

A New Era Begins…

We always like to have a little something extra at our events. On this night, it is the 2015 Barolo Riserva Monfortino. It is the first vintage that includes some fruit from Arione (about 20%), an approach Roberto Conterno has used for all subsequent vintages. Personally, I like the mix of sites quite a bit. Perhaps that’s because the blend gets back to Monfortino’s origins as a Barolo blended from multiple sites. In that sense, the 2015 is the perfect wine with which to end the evening, as it ties together so many of the themes of a truly spectacular evening.

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