2017 | Poderi Aldo Conterno | Colonnello

Red Wine: 2017 | Poderi Aldo Conterno | Colonnello

Offering plum, cherry, iron, eucalyptus and black pepper aromas and flavors, this broad red has absorbed the oak treatment pretty well already, with a dense matrix of tannins and lively acidity. Balanced and long, ending with elements of mineral and spice.

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Producer: Poderi Aldo Conterno

Ratings: WA | 94 JS | 97

Vintage: 2017

Size: 750ml

ABV: 14.5%

Varietal: Nebbiolo

Country/Region: Italy, Barolo

Offering plum, cherry, iron, eucalyptus and black pepper aromas and flavors, this broad red has absorbed the oak treatment pretty well already, with a dense matrix of tannins and lively acidity. Balanced and long, ending with elements of mineral and spice.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The Poderi Aldo Conterno 2017 Barolo Bussia Colonnello shows good focus, structure and a sharper character that is often the distinguishing factor in this wine. The bouquet is redolent of dark fruit and plum, but it also shows a solid framing of iron ore and dark stony mineral. These give the wine greater lift and contoured edges. This is not the first time that Colonnello is my favorite wine in this lineup, and I suspect it won’t be the last.

• James Suckling: Aromas of dried flowers, dried strawberries, lavender, and hazelnuts. Some roses, too. Full-bodied, chewy and powerful, yet the tannins are polished and very energetic. Lots of them, yet with gorgeous roundness and tension. Tight at the end, suggesting very serious aging potential. Try after 2025.

Producer Information

Poderi Aldo Conterno is a well-regarded and much soughter-after Piedmont producer known for its wines from the best parcels of the Bussia vineyard in Monforte d’Alba. Aldo Conterno, who died in 2012, was regarded by many as the greatest of all Barolo winemakers. The vineyard holdings total around 25 hectares (62 acres) and are mostly situated on south- and southwest-facing slopes with chalky-clay soils. Cru Barolos are made from the Romirasco, Cicala and Colonello plots within the Bussia vineyard, while the Granbussia Riserva is sourced from the oldest vines in all three plots and only made in the very best vintages. The Bussia cuve is the junior Barolo made from younger plots (15 years and above), while Il Favot is made from the youngest vines in the estate and is classified as a Langhe Nebbiolo. Conca Tre Pile is a Barbera d’Alba from the Bussia plot of the same name, and a Langhe red is also produced from a blend of Freisa, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. The range is completed by the barrique-fermented Bussiador Chardonnay. Total production is approximately 80,000 bottles annually. Aldo Conterno has been labelled a Barolo modernist, and this was often stated in comparison with his brother Giovanni of the staunchly old-school Giacomo Conterno estate. Winemaking combines the modern and traditional with the Barolo wines aged at length in large Slavonian oak casks and French barriques are also used in the range. The Bussia is aged for 26 months, the Cru wines receive 28-30 months in cask, while the Granbussia receives 32 months and is only released from the cellars eight years after the vintage. Il Favot and the other reds, in contrast, are aged in a combination of stainless steel and new barriques. The business was founded in 1969 when Aldo bought the Favot estate with its Bussia holdings. For the previous eight years, he had managed Giacomo Conterno with his brother, but left to make wines in a less resolutely traditionalist environment.