Aldo Conterno and Giaconda Pre-Arrivals

1 March 2011

Aldo Conterno Pre-Arrivals

Oooh these pre-arrivals are coming in thick and fast... And we know it's difficult to allocate the wallet but when we were are looking at great vintages, from top producers they are hard to overlook. Along with Vietti and Voerizio (see last weeks offer), Aldo Conterno are shop favourites, and surely one of the pioneers for the 'modern take Barolo' that we are seeing more and more of late. The Barolo's in question come from the almighty 2006 vintage and if you keep scrolling down you will also see an offer for their Langhe, Barbera, Dolcetto & even a Piedmont Chardonnay....

Notes from Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate.

2006 Aldo Conterno ‘Romarisco’ Barolo DOCG @ $269 Magnum's available $590
The 2006 Barolo Romirasco offers up a refined bouquet of spices, menthol, plums, prunes and French oak. This is an especially rich, sensual Barolo from Conterno. The Romirasco spends an additional 3-4 months in oak than the other single-vineyard Barolos, and in 2006 the wine seems especially marked by sweet vanillin and spices. The tannins also carry the signature of fresh oak. If the wine finds its center and integrates its oak it will merit a higher score, but for now the balance of the finest vintages seems elusive. Conterno uses large casks for their Barolos, but scrapes out the insides of the barrels every few years. The 2006 Romirasco feels like it got an unusually high amount of these refurbished barrels. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2031. (92+)

2006 Aldo Conterno ‘Colonnello’ Barolo DOCG @ $208
"The 2006 Barolo Colonnello opens with a fabulous bouquet of tar and roses. A focused, sinewy wine in this vintage, the Colonnello emerges from the glass with regal elegance. It is a mysterious, sensual Barolo that only gradually reveals the true breadth of its personality. Constantly changing in the glass, the Colonnello offers tons of complexity, with sweet, aromatic notes that return to frame the austere, powerful finish. The terrain in Colonnello contains a slightly higher percentage of sand, making it Conterno's most silky, accessible single-vineyard Barolo, in relative terms, of course. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2031. (93)

2006 Aldo Conterno ‘Cicala’ Barolo DOCG  @ $208
The 2006 Barolo Cicala is another serious, austere Barolo that is tightly wound at this stage. Here the fruit is darker and more intense than in the Colonnello, while the aromatics tend towards menthol, pine, spices and all things balsamic. Sweet, powerful and layered, the 2006 Cicala finishes with a blast of roasted coffee beans, licorice and mint. This is an absolutely wonderful, complete Barolo from Aldo Conterno. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2031. (94)

2006 Aldo Conterno Barolo DOCG @ $110
The 2006 Barolo is made from the estate’s youngest vines, which means an average age of 20-35 years at this address, mostly from the village of Monforte with a touch of Barolo. Sweet, fragrant aromatics lead to an elegant, supple Barolo with a plush core of fruit supported by dusty yet elegant tannins. Spices, flowers and small red fruits come to life on the long, attractive finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024. (90+)

2006 Aldo Conterno ‘Il Favot’ Nebbiolo @ $80
The 2006 Nebbiolo Il Favot is a very serious wine endowed with superb concentration and balance. This firm, vibrant Nebbiolo possesses gorgeous, refined tannins that render it enjoyable today, but readers who enjoy more aromatic nuance and complexity may want to cellar the wine for a few years. The sheer integrity of fruit here is remarkable. This is a great effort from Aldo Conterno. (90)

2007 Aldo Conterno Conca Tre Pile Barbera d’Alba @ $55
The 2007 Barbera d’Alba Conca Tre Pile is simply wonderful. Layers of ripe fruit, flowers, spices and new oak shimmer on the palate with the radiance and silkiness that is the hallmark of this great vintage. The Conca Tre Pile is a beautiful, elegant and restrained Barbera that captures the essence of the Conterno house style. It is highly recommended. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2017. (91)

2006 Langhe Rosso DOC @ $41

2009 ‘Masante’ Langhe Dolcetto DOC @ $32

2007 ‘Bussiador’ Chardonnay Langhe DOC @ $67

Numbers for these highly sought after wines are limited and requests will be confirmed as soon as possible. For all orders please send us an e-mail: wine@eastendcellars.com.au or give us a call on 08 8232 5300.

2010 Giaconda Pre-Arrival

Once again we are happy to offer a pre-arrival offer for the outstanding wines of Giaconda. Like all years, numbers are limited and we will be as fair as possible in terms of allocating but something new is at hand; new wines in fact. Alongside the Pinot, Chardonnay & Warner Shiraz we have a very small amount of their Cabernet, plus the brand spanking new 2008 Nebbiolo!

2010 Giaconda en primeur wine release – Barrel tasting notes (October 2010)

2010 Estate Vineyard Chardonnay @ $100 (Please advise with order if you would prefer screwcap or cork)
"Our first Chardonnay completely fermented and aged underground in our cave. This means a slower and more even ageing process, combined with the cooler season this has resulted in a wine with very long ageing potential. The wine has a signature nose of matchstick and meal with powerful underlying minerality. While similar in style to 2008 this wine is a little more racy with slightly less oak showing at this stage. The palate is highly refined and harks back to some of our best vintages from the 90s. The fruit is powerful but very well integrated with the other components."

2010 Yarra Valley & Beechworth Pinot Noir @ $75 (screwcap only)
"Beautiful deep aromatics of cherry and exotic spices. Characters of forest floor are evident on both the nose and palate. It has a rich, savoury and powerful palate, followed by gripy tannins and lingering acidity. Great balance with perfect weight. This wine further reinforces our opinion of the Beechworth and Yarra Valley blend."

2010 Estate Vineyard Shiraz @ $75 (cork only)
"A highly expressive nose of violets and graphite, with a wild briar character. This is the first Giaconda Shiraz with a small Viognier component – which adds an interesting extra dimension. It has an elegant structure but still retains it’s latent power. An ethereal palate and refined tannins.  Only the second release of the Estate Shiraz, it is showing great promise and has developed outstanding depth while still holding great refinement."

2010 Warner Vineyard Shiraz @ $75 (Please advise with order if you would prefer screwcap or cork)
"The nose is profoundly deep with scents of herb, red fruits and coffee. A firm and more refined, tightly structured palate reflecting a cooler vintage.  Exotic Rhone like characters of wild herbs are developing as a counterpoint to the evident dark fruit. This continues the traditional Warner vineyard style and should offer good ageing potential."

2009 Cabernet @ $65 (cork only)
"The nose has lovely perfume of liquorice, cassis and cedar. This wine has a lifted nose, followed by tobacco, green tea. The palate is already highly integrated and should become even fleshier and more complex over time. Good density, which is nicely balanced by firm and evident tannin and acidity. This should be very long lived."

2008 Nebbiolo @ $95 (cork only) – Reviewed by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW – The Wine Advocate June 2010
"Does Nebbiolo travel? I was just reaching the conclusion that it probably doesn’t fare too well outside of Piedmont when Rick had me try a barrel sample of his 2008 Nebbiolo from about 1.5 acres that have just been included into vines that have been designated for the joint partnership with Chapoutier. Aged in large old oak for 2 years, it will receive another year in barrel before being bottled. Possessing a medium ruby color, the rose petal character on the nose is pretty profound, with quite a lot of tar and some funky game notes Layers of aromas include rose hip tea, tobacco, some loam, a bit of dark chocolate and a touch of anise amongst the stewed Ceylon tea leaves. The medium to full body, crisp acidity and firm, chewy tannins confirm this is a wonderfully varietally expressive wine with a long complex finish. When I was told they were considering grubbing these vines up and replanting with Shiraz I strongly objected that this would be a crime! Personally, I can’t wait to see this wine in bottle...though only around 2000 bottles will be produced.(95-97) points"

Recent tastings have confirmed my belief and expectation, that 2010 will reach the high level originally anticipated."  
  
Rick Kinzbrunner  (February 2011.)

Exciting stuff indeed! This is a pre-arrival and it is the same deal as usual; all money is needed upon confirmation of your order. Delivery will be May 2012, except for the 2009 Cabernet (May 2011) and 2008 Nebbiolo (October 2011)

Numbers for these highly sought after wines are limited and numbers will be confirmed as soon as possible. For all orders please send us an e-mail: wine@eastendcellars.com.au or give us a call on 08 8232 5300.

 

 

Return to archive