The Cantine Giacomo Conterno production of Barolo may have begun in 1908 with the founding of Giovanni Conterno’s tavern in San Giuseppe near Monforte d’Alba, or after his son Giacomo Conterno returned from service in World War I, with the first Barolo riserva either bottled in 1912 or 1920. Notwithstanding, Conterno coming from a family with viticultural roots in the region going back to the 18th century, is considered one of the first small Barolo producers to bottle an own wine, beginning in the 1920s during a time when Barolo was normally sold in cask or demijohn and intended for early drinking. Giovanni Conterno died in 1934 and Giacomo Conterno created a Barolo with vast aging potential, named Monfortino for the home village Monforte d’Alba. For 54 years two Barolos, a normale and riserva, were produced from purchased grapes, made by the motto that a Barolo at the time of bottling should be “undrinkable”, though be a great bottle after twenty, thirty, forty years.

In 1974 Giovanni Conterno purchased the Cascina Francia vineyard in Serralunga, bringing an end to the era of purchasing fruit from local farmers. The first vintage of wine made from own vineyard was 1978, though the name Cascina Francia did not appear on the label of the normale until the 1980 vintage.

Giovanni Conterno’s youngest son Roberto began to work by his father’s side in 1988, and after Giovanni Conterno died at 75 in February 2004, Roberto Conterno continued the family industry in the strict traditionalist fashion. In 2008 Roberto Conterno purchased a vineyard in Serralunga’s Cerretta, from which wine was produced beginning with the 2008 vintage. In 2015 Roberto bought from Cantina Gigi Rosso the prized nine-hectare Arione vineyard, next to Cascina Francia. The new vineyard includes just over 3.5 ha Nebbiolo da Barolo, just over 1ha Nebbiolo d’Alba and just over 1ha Barbera d’Alba.

We have recently launched his Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva 2014: