Diego Conterno 2021

Our vendor was in the other day with what had to be 12+ wines. It was a mixed bag, mostly Burgundy and Champagne, but on this day it was the 2021 Diego Conterno Barolo that clearly stood above the rest.

Just about everything I’ve tasted from 2021 Piedmont has been nothing short of fantastic! This is a new producer for me, but the wine displayed everything you could ask for from Nebbiolo. The bouquet soared from the glass with layered aromas of dried flowers, potpourri, cherry, white pepper and spice. The fragrance was downright captivating! That combination of perfume and underlying structure told me we were dealing with serious terroir, and as I asked the rep a few questions, its pedigree started to make sense.

This Barolo brings together Nebbiolo from three Monforte vineyards (San Giovanni, Bricco San Pietro and Ginestra), each vinified separately before the final blend. Ginestra may be the name that jumps off the page, but combining all three sites gives Diego a broader expression of the place.

And Diego knows Monforte well. He spent nearly two decades as a co-founder of Conterno-Fantino before setting out on his own, and today he works alongside his son Stefano. The farming is organic, and the winemaking has moved in a decidedly traditional direction: indigenous yeasts and aging in large oak, letting the vineyards speak rather than putting too heavy a stamp on the wine.

There’s serious pedigree behind this bottle, and with 2021 shaping up as one of the standout Barolo vintages in recent memory, the timing couldn’t be better. Now that the weather is starting to cool off, there’s nothing like reaching for a powerful Barolo to scratch that itch.

You don’t come across many Barolos under $50 these days that pack this kind of punch! In Stock