Giacomo Conterno, Barolo, Francia 2009

Because Monfortino was not produced this vintage, the 2009 Barolo Cascina Francia benefits from the extra fruit that would have otherwise gone toward the world's most celebrated Barolo Riserva. I tasted the 2009 Barolo Cascina Francia in barrel two years ago and am delighted by its steady evolution. This is a wine of sophisticated intensity and persuasion. The bouquet peels back to reveal dark fruit, licorice, tar and dried rose. The vintage was warm, resulting in extra plumpness and roundness in terms of mouthfeel. The style is slightly more immediate, but this is a great aging wine nonetheless.

Good bright medium red. Deep, expressive nose offers strawberry, camphor, marzipan and earthy minerality. Like liquid silk on entry, then very rich, ripe and sweet in the middle, offering complex notes of red berries, roasted herbs, leather and smoked meat. Finishes sappy and very long, with lush tannins and serious breadth. The tannins are more than supported by the wine's strong mid-palate material. This wine includes the fruit that would normally go into the Monfortino bottling.