Very fine and structured with plums, peaches, and orange peel. Medium-bodied with very fine tannins. It goes on and on at the finish. Juicy. Savory. Makes you want to drink it.

Tasted from barrel, the Giacomo Conterno 2018 Barolo Cerretta is shaping up to be a beauty. What stands out most at this very young stage is the quality and the elegant tightness of the tannins. Cerretta fruit from Serralunga d'Alba makes for powerful, structured and concentrated Nebbiolo that is delivered with naked clarity and outstanding purity. These qualities are clearly linked to the vineyard site and less to the conservative efforts executed at the winery. You taste the crunch or the nervous quality of the grape skins and pulp with dark and purple berry nuances and rusty or mineral overtones that hint at the more significant presence of clay in these soils.

Thanks to altitude and heavier soils, Cerretta performs well in hot vintages, such as 2017, 2015 and 2011. The vines (planted a quarter century ago) sit at about 400 meters in elevation and water moisture is absorbed by the clay of Serralunga d'Alba. These conditions help to shape the wine's important tannins and elegant structure. Ultimately however, I found the 2017 Barolo Cerretta to be very much identified by its birth year. The wine offers a long interlude of intense brightness with sweet cherry, fragolino and wild rose, which soften any angular or hard edges put forth by the Nebbiolo grape. This 2017 vintage is exceedingly smooth and silky in character with a pliant or yielding quality that should serve it nicely as the wine completes its aging trajectory.

I tasted the lovely Giacomo Conterno 2016 Barolo Cerretta in the context of a mini vertical that included 2017 and a barrel sample of 2018. Each of these wines is purely distinctive on its own, with 2018 showing structural power to the palate, 2017 offering high notes of red and purple fruits to the nose, and this 2016 showing an underlying radiance and brilliance that marries the intensity of the bouquet and the mouthfeel. The wine starts off a bit rigid and nervous, but that initial shyness is normal in the progression of a young Barolo from Cerretta in Serralunga d'Alba, especially at this five-year mark in its evolution. It opens gradually but completely to reveal wild berry fruit, blackcurrants, rusty nail and blood orange. These classic aromas follow to silky tannins, pretty freshness and long-lasting textural richness.

Very Burgundy-like, featuring a silky texture wrapped around cherry, raspberry, earth and tobacco flavors. As this builds on the palate, the dense, muscular tannins remind you this is Barolo. Reticent now but shows promise. Best from 2023 through 2042. 12 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barolo Select to Add