The 2007 Barbera d’Alba Cascina Francia flows onto the palate with waves of dark red fruit, sweet roses, licorice, flowers, menthol and tar, showing a remarkable combination of ripeness, clarity and detail. Medium in body, the wine offers tons of length and a refined, polished finish. Stylistically, the 2007 recalls the finesse and perfume of the 2004, with perhaps a touch more intensity and depth. Simply, put, this is as majestic a Barbera as readers are likely to find. Hard as it may seem to believe, this wine continues to get better with each passing vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2017.
My recent visit to Giacomo Conterno was fascinating, as I had an opportunity to spend several hours tasting through all of the wines in barrel with proprietor Roberto Conterno. The question of succession is always an issue in small, family-run wineries, but this is one example where the younger generation is building on past success by taking things to an entirely new level. I can only imagine how proud Giovanni Conterno would be if he could see (and taste!) the sublime wines that have emerged from this property in recent years. Among the wines still in barrel, the most promising appear to be the 2002, 2004 and 2005 Monfortinos, all of which are spectacular at this stage. I also tasted Conterno’s first wines from his newly-acquired vineyard in Cerretta. The 2008s show a work in progress as Conterno only had control of the vineyard for a few months that year. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with going forward. In 2007, Conterno’s Barbera officially carries the Cascina Francia vineyard designation to differentiate it from a new single-vineyard Barbera from the Cerretta vineyard the estate will release beginning with the 2008 vintage. These two new releases from proprietor Roberto Conterno are stellar. This year there is no Monfortino, as the next vintage that is scheduled for release, the 2002, is still in barrel. Depending on one’s point of view, the lack of a new Monfortino might be good or bad news. I, for one, don’t mind a year without having to make the significant but very worthwhile investment acquiring these wines requires.
Importers: Doug Polaner, Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484
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