A bottle of Nebbiolo vinified at Conti remains some of the most expressive and beloved wine in this corner of Italy, but for those who’ve tasted their flagship Boca, I’m already preaching to the converted. These small-lot wines have a proven track record both in their youth and in the cellar for the long haul, with each pull of the cork delivering a profound purity of fruit, sleek texture, and vivid minerality in the glass. And while you won’t see that coveted four-letter DOC designation on today’s label, I assure you what we have on offer is equally thrilling: Conti’s Colline Novaresi is a “Baby Boca” through and through, at nearly half the price!
Coming from an organically farmed vineyard that neighbors the miniature-yet-renowned Boca DOC, this is Conti Nebbiolo at its most pleasurable and inviting. So, I strongly urge everyone to take whatever they can of this rare stunner because (1) barely 200 cases were produced, and (2) this is a bottle you can rip open and savor tonight or stash in the cellar for enjoyment in 5-10 years. Ultimately, if you love Conti’s $68 Boca bottling, you’re going to geek out over their silken-textured and gorgeously perfumed $38 alternative!
NOTE: This special pre-offer will be arriving at our warehouse on September 3rd.
The village of Boca is home base for the Conti sisters, and it exists as one of the smallest wine appellations in Italy, made up of only a handful of hectares—at one point in the ‘90s, only 10 hectares of vines remained! Like Barolo 90 minutes to the south, Nebbiolo (called ‘Spanna’ in Alto Piemonte) reigns supreme. Today’s Colline Novaresi, however, is a slightly larger appellation that touches the southern border of Boca, and the soils in this hillside appellation are mostly loam with silt and clay. In other words: Spanna thrives here! The sisters, Elena and Paola, rely on a single vineyard of a close family friend to supply the organic grapes for today’s wine, although they oversee the entire harvest.
The Conti sisters understand that with this inimitable terroir, years of experience perfecting organic and biodynamic practices, and a treasure trove of ancient vines, they need not fuss over the wines too much in the cellar. There is very little in the way of technology or modern gadgetry in this property’s modest cellar. This bottling, comprised of 100% Nebbiolo, is fermented on indigenous yeasts in large stainless steel vats, after which it is transferred to used Slavonian oak botti. It ages over one year in these vessels before an unfined bottling and is then allowed several more months of rest before release.
Conti’s importer perfectly summarizes today’s Colline Novaresi by saying “...if [Conti’s] Boca is driven more by its titanic minerality, the Spanna is built on a sense of kinetic energy—a wine of lift and drive rather than power. Fruits here are pitched higher and complemented by a more vertically oriented layering of spices.” And today’s 2019 vividly illustrates that: Each layer is beautifully rendered with smoky and rose-tinged perfumes along with bright mountain berry fruit and soft glacial minerality. The palate is supple and sophisticated from start to finish, boasting a flood of currant, cherry, licorice, and spice, and a spellbinding boost of dried-herb savoriness. This is such an impressive Nebbiolo that may very well have no sub-$40 peer. If you’re enjoying it in the next few years, please decant for at least 30 minutes and serve in large Burgundy stems, but expect your stash to keep evolving in a positive direction over the next decade.
