Barolo Monfortino Riserva, Giacomo Conterno 2006

I often suggest readers who want to taste young Monfortinos do so right after release, as the wine often shuts down. Maybe it is the gorgeous London spring day, but the 2006 is wonderfully open and expressive for a young Monfortino. Today, the 2006 looks like a modern-day version of the 1999. The sinewy, muscular tannins ensure decades of magnificent drinking lie ahead. Tasted from magnum.

Tasted from botte number 45, the 2006 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is gorgeous. Roberto tells me, "Monfortino is not a drinking wine, it's a chewing wine." His comment makes perfect sense and offers incredible insight into the profound beauty beholden before us. You almost feel the crunch of the young tannin and the snap of its presence in the mouth. The bouquet is perfectly matched to the wine. Elegance and finesse add contrast to the wine's sheer power and determination. Dried rose, licorice, tar, spice and tobacco show immense definition and focus. The 2006 vintage is noted for its extraordinary aging potential. Anticipated maturity: 2025-2045.

This is the wine of the vintage. It shows amazing fruit character of ripe strawberries and orange peel. The length and linear style to the line of ultra-fine tannins is glorious. It goes on for minutes after tasting it. What great structure and length. Superb. Better in 2020