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Franco Conterno

Franco Conterno

Franco Conterno

  • Italy
The Franco Conterno estate is very much a family affair. The estate`s oldest vines were planted by Pietro Conterno before being passed on to his son Giacomo, who later passed it on to his nephew Franco, who took over in 1996. While Franco is still very much present, the day-to-day operations in the vineyard and winery rest firmly in the hands of his two sons Andrea and Daniele. Andrea, remains behind the scenes and in the vineyard, whilst Daniele has happily taken on the role of figurehead.

Andrea's energy shows in the wines, which are only getting better and better. They represent a well-executed and harmonious dichotomy, between tradition and modern thinking and practices; it is clear that the brothers have brought fresh insight and innovation to the estate. In addition to purchasing new vineyards and reining in the use of new oak, the pair spearheaded the transition to organic viticulture and received organic certification in 2015. On one recent visit, as we sat on the terrace with glasses in hand, Daniele regaled us stories of the Barolo Boys (the local football team made of winemakers, for which he plays) with the youngest of his three children balanced on one knee, stopping only to give instruction to a cellar hand or to his mother, who looks after the Agriturismo.

Winemaking is still governed by aging. In the case of the Barolos, this takes place entirely in bottle. The results are wines with a traditional profile. bricky coloured with serious tannins. But there's fruit. expressive and impressive fruit from well-established organic vineyards. There are plenty of other delights here from local varieties. Nascetta (they are one of about a dozen producers producing these lean, taut and wines), Freisa, lovely young Nebbiolo, and Roero Arneis.

The capstone of the range is the Riserva Sette7Anni, which was born out of a dare from father to son. Pietro gave one barrel for Daniele to age, reminding him that any extra ageing impacted cash flow. Sette7Anni, is named for the 84 months it spends in barrel, far longer than two years in oak required of a Barolo and three years of a Riserva. It is produced in the best years and ageing remains true to its name.