2000 Monfortino, Barolo Riserva DOCG, Giacomo Conterno

Conterno’s 2000 Barolo Riserva Monfortino explodes from the glass with a luxurious, expansive personality that leaves me speachless. Endowed with generous ripe fruit, it is a seamless, seductive Monfortino that possesses incredible length as well as purity in a style that perfectly encapsulates the qualities of the vintage. With air, suggestions of roses, cocoa, tar and anise emerge to complete this magnificent expression of Barolo from Serralunga. Despite its seemingly approachable personality this wine has plenty of underlying structure...

Low yields, a long fermentation time of 4-5 weeks with no temperature control and seven years of cask aging remain the rule for Monfortino. The string of Monfortinos spanning 1996 to 2001 (and possibly 2002) must surely be a record. I can’t think of another estate in the world that has produced six consecutive vintages of this profound quality. The 2000 Monfortino ranks slightly behind the 1999 and 2001, but that may be splitting hairs at this very high level. It is another stellar effort from Giacomo Conterno.
(Antonio Galloni - Wine Advocate - Oct 07)