Aldo Conterno's Cicala

Just as in Burgundy, a handful of names in Piemonte occupy the very top tier. Aldo Conterno is one of those. The winery was founded in 1969 when Aldo and his brother Giovanni split the Giacomo Conterno estate. The Aldo estate evolved as it acquired certain desired vineyards in the Bussia area of Monforte d'Alba. Today it is run by Aldo's sons, Giacomo and Franco. The philosophy and the aim of the estate is to produce the absolutely most refined and elegant Barolos. The hallmark of the wines are their intense aromatics and softer, almost feminine, yet still powerful, style.

The next releases will be the 2004 Aldo Conterno Barolo, the single vineyards 2004 Aldo Conterno Barolo Colonnella and 2004 Aldo Conterno Ramiresco. Of these two, the Ramiresco is the more powerful and the Colonnello has a more gentle character. They should both be considered in the same way Grand Cru vineyards are revered in Burgundy. They are just as rare. The other vineyard especially bottled by Aldo Conterno is the very structured Cicala. This vineyard was lost to hailstorms in 2004.

At the very top of the Aldo Conterno line is the rarely produced Gran Bussia. This a blend of the three vineyards, Ramiresco, Colonnella and Cicala. The 2001 Aldo Conterno Gran Bussia ranks with the best Barolos ever produced. The following is a quote from the 2008 edition of Gambero Rosso:

"In the 20th anniversary of our guide, we nominated Barolo Gran Bussia 1989 as the finest wine ever tasted in the history of this publication. Aldo Conterno has now succeeded, several years later, in producing another magisterial version of his iconic wine. Aldo Conterno Gran Bussia 2001 picked up incredibly high scores at our final tastings, winning Three Glasses almost without effort. Here is a wine that manages to express to the highest degree what Barolo is all about."

Aldo Conterno did not produce the requisite quality fruit in 2002 or 2003 so there will be no Gran Bussia. Because of the hail damage to the Cicala vineyard in 2004, there will be no 2004 Gran Bussia. As rare as the 2001 is, these facts make it ridiculously so. These wines are at the top level of any red wines produced anywhere in the world. It is a privilege to offer them.

Special 6 Pack Offer: Two bottles each of 2004 Barolo, Colonnella, and Ramiresco for a special price of $870

Special Mixed Case: Three bottles each of the four wines above at a special price of $1999