Castello di Conti Boca ll Rosso delle Donne 2018

Price drops to $39.95 per bottle when you purchase 4 or more!

Up in far northern Piemonte, in the teeny DOC of Boca, three passionate sisters run Castello Conti as the second generation following in the footsteps of their father, Ermanno Conti. With organic farming practices, deep respect for the land, and a curiosity to continue experimenting with new cuvees, this small estate is pouring up some of the most interesting and masterful Piemontese wines we’ve ever encountered, such as this 2018 flagship red that radiates elegance, energy, and nuance in a way that will endlessly enchant your senses.

Another slam dunk has made its way to our warehouse from one of our most trusted importer sources (and the folks who every Somm we know goes googly-eyed over), Rosenthal Wine Merchant. Truth is, our contacts at Rosenthal have never led us astray and consistently find us some of the raddest under-the-radar wines from often tucked-out-of-the-limelight producers doing exceptional, pure, fervent work in their respective regions. Costello Conti fits that bill, with sisters Elena, Anna, and Paola Conti taking their father’s initial work of tending the family’s singular hectare in the Boca appellation of Piemonte and continuing to make good on developing captivating, terroir-dripping wines using the most intentional and thoughtful of farming and vinification practices.

Boca covers only 12 hectares of vines across five villages, split between just 11 vineyard owners. The soils here are a mix of clay, limestone, and sand – similar to its neighboring appellation just 10 kilometers to the southwest, Gattinara, but producing more elegant, less robust wines. Nebbiolo grapes are the mainstay farmed here, with local grapes Vespolina and Uva Rara as close secondary contenders, used as blending components. The DOC of Boca requires the wines produced here to age, at minimum, three years prior to release – a good thing for Castello Conti, whose wines are well known to age exceptionally for decades upon decades.

As for their 2018 ll Rosso delle Donne, this flagship red is composed of 75% nebbiolo, 20% vespolina, and 5% uva rara. Though still in its relative youth, it drinks magnificently now, with endless layers of complexity, freshness, and finesse to unfold in each sip. “Readers who appreciate subtle reds will adore it,” reads Vinous’s 94 point review, and we couldn’t agree more! After hand harvesting the grapes, spontaneous fermentation occurs in stainless steel, with all three varieties vinifying independently. Prior to barrel aging, they’re blended and set in 500-liter “botti” as well as a variety of larger formats, experiencing no batonnage during their three-year sit. Sulfur is only added in the minimal dosage at bottling to align with the organic practices the team initiates in the vineyard.

The light red wine, tinged with glimmers of orange hues, sings with impressive layers of rustic earth, fruit, and minerality, encompassing notes of dried cherries, rose petals, blood orange, crushed granite, tobacco, leather, star anise, spearmint, sandalwood, and a smidge of tar. Electric acidity and racy tannins bring out an energy that will absolutely thrill your palate as you take each additional sip. This is a personality-packed wine with endless ageability, crafty nuance, and impeccable artisanship! Nowhere else has this for under $50...except for us, slinging one of Piemonte’s coolest reds for UNDER $40! You’d do well to get at least a couple of these, and STAT!