Reviews
Technical Details
- BlendNebbiolo
- WinemakerGiorgio Conterno
- CountryItaly
- RegionPiedmont
- AppellationBarolo
- VineyardGinestra
- Alcohol15.5%
Paolo Conterno Barolo Ginestra 2016
This Ginestra just CRUSHES IT at the price point. The cru, located in Monforte d’Alba, with excellent southern exposure and 35-38 year old vines, delivers all the classic aromas and flavors we love about world-class Nebbiolo, and we are thrilled not to have to pay $200+ for it. Ginestra always pops in a special way because of a particularly high concentration of limestone in the soils, and it therefore produces very energetic but structured wines..
Gorgeous dried cherry, blood orange and citrus zest, tea and menthol and dried flowers...amazingly complex and layered -- one for the ages! The balance and seamlessness is just...EXQUISITE! This has a long life ahead of it, but what we love about 2016s is they so show much balance, even at this early stage in their life, and they can be enjoyed now after a long decant, or by your grandchildren in 30 years.
Paolo Conterno founded Casa della Ginestra in 1886, not long after the birth of Barolo as we know it. He was one of the very first growers in the Langhe to sell barrels of wine directly to consumers from the cellar, eschewing the well-established négociants of the time. He developed a loyal following of connoisseurs demanding his wines, and the independent estate has prospered over five generations now.
Today, Giorgio Conterno is at the helm of the winery, which produces brilliant, classically styled expressions from the Ginestra cru, renowned for wines with dark colors, brooding tannins and incredible aromatics - hallmarks of its dense, clay-heavy Helvetian soil and relatively high elevation. The estate’s style is rooted in tradition: extended macerations and long aging in large casks, with the resulting wines perfectly reflecting Ginestra’s excellence: laser pure perfumes, great balance, approachability and long potential for aging.
We have only 62 bottles...while they last!
PAIRING IDEAS: Here in Yountville, Napa Valley, we have a fantastic place called Bistro Jeanty (I know, I know, it’s French…), and they do a dish of rabbit 3 ways. It’s PERFECT for this. If you’re feeling adventurous, rabbit is NOT that challenging. If you are not...make a perfect plate of pasta -- cacio e pepe, and let the Barolo SHINE!.
MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: Everybody’s going on tour again (yay!!), and we just bought Green Day tix for their Oakland concert. Crank up pretty much ANYTHING from them and rock out with this killer Barolo!