As befits a wine of this rarity and price, Monfortino has an epic story behind it. When it debuted, in 1920, it was one of the few examples of a bottled wine from the Barolo area—most of the region’s wines were being sold out of cask or demijohn, as Giovanni Conterno had been doing in his local tavern. Most histories of the Conterno family point to 1920 as the year Giovanni’s son, Giacomo (the estate’s namesake to this day) began building a full-fledged winery operation after returning from fighting in WWI. After that, it was Giacomo’s son—another Giovanni—who grew the estate to worldwide prominence in the modern era.

Representing the absolute pinnacle of traditional Barolo winemaking, the Conterno estate is centered on the family’s “Cascina Francia” vineyard in the Barolo village of Serralunga d’Alba. It is, to use the French word, a monopole—the “Romanée-Conti” of Barolo—and its track record for producing profound, exceptionally long-lived wine speaks for itself at this point. Now with fourth-generation Roberto Conterno at the helm, the estate’s wines are in greater demand than ever before, and prices have risen accordingly. 

There are many interesting facts about Monfortino that are well-known to seasoned collectors, but may be new to some. First is the name: “Monfortino” does not refer to a single vineyard but to the village of Monforte d’Alba, which was the family’s original hometown and is still where the Conterno winery is located. The wine is a special selection of the best fruit in the best vintages, which, since 1978, has come from the Cascina Francia vineyard—a west-facing cru right near the Serralunga/Monforte border. The Conternos had only acquired the Francia site in 1974; prior to that, Monfortino and the other Giacomo Conterno wines were made from purchased fruit, négociant-style.

In the select vintages in which it is made, Monfortino typically tops out at around 600 cases production, and that production is an epic one: Fermentation is carried out in large, wooden, open-topped vats with no temperature control, with an extended maceration on the grape skins, after which the wine undergoes extensive aging in large, Slavonian oak botti (5-6 years, often longer) and bottle before release. It always greatly exceeds the minimum aging requirements for a Barolo Riserva, and is really in a class by itself. To drink it when young, not surprisingly, is frowned upon, although 2008 was a year of exceptional finesse and balance for this often brooding, fiercely tannic wine. “I don’t think I have tasted a more refined Monfortino than the 2008,” exclaimed critic Antonio Galloni. 

If you just can’t wait, decant the ’08 two hours before serving at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems (otherwise, expect real fireworks at the 15-year mark and for many, many years thereafter). In the glass, it’s a luminous garnet red with flecks of orange and crimson, a color which might lead you to expect a lighter wine than the full-throttle powerhouse that greets you on the nose and palate. Aromas of dried black cherries, currants, black plum, dried orange peel, rose petals, dried herbs, camphor, and damp underbrush leap from the glass. Many vintages of this wine are iron-shaving tannic and darkly mineral when released, needing years to unwind, but this one has shown a lot of floral character, sweet fruit, and well-integrated tannins from the jump. There’s no doubt it’s powerful and built to last, but its balance is pitch-perfect. Its power is not in its palate weight but in its persistence—to me the mark of the greatest Barolo wines, which are never going to come off as chunky. This is an ethereal wine experience that should be savored slowly, reverentially, with a simple dish showcasing the flavors of the earth. Truffles would be great, of course, but fresh chanterelles over pasta are always a go-to for me when top-tier Barolo is on the table. Ah, how I long for the old days, when I could afford it…