2017 Conterno Fantino Barolo DOCG Ginestra Vigna Sori Ginestra, Piedmont

An important and cellar-worthy wine, the Conterno Fantino 2017 Barolo Ginestra Vigna Sorì Ginestra shows ripe fruit and wild berry, with background tones of grill herb, licorice and pressed blue flowers. There are hints of eucalyptus and white pepper that add extra lift and intensity to the bouquet. This is an excellent wine that is very different from the epic 2016 vintage, which scored an extraordinary and well-deserved 98 points; this vintage does not reach that stratospheric level of complexity or depth. When it is ready to open, note that it carries an alcohol content of 15%, so an elaborate truffle meal is probably in order. Exactly 12,124 bottles were released.

95 points Monica Larner robertparker.com

The 2017 Barolo Ginestra Vigna Sorì Ginestra is another gorgeous, expressive wine in this range. Broad and ample, the 2017 captures all of the personality of this site. Dark-fleshed fruit, spice, menthol, licorice, espresso, dried flowers and pine infuse the 2017 with myriad layers of dimension. There is plenty of Ginestra energy and tannin, so a few years of cellaring is a must.

94 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com Feb 2021 Drink 2025 - 2037

Conterno Fantino Barolo DOCG Ginestra Vigna Sori Ginestra is one of the most powerful and iconic expressions of Barolo, drawn from the heart of the Ginestra cru in Monforte d’Alba, a site revered for producing Nebbiolo of immense structure, depth and longevity. The Sori Ginestra vineyard sits high on the slope, perfectly exposed to the sun and rooted in compact limestone and sandstone soils rich in iron, which give the wine its unmistakable authority, dark intensity and mineral backbone. This is one of Monforte’s great amphitheatre vineyards, a place where Nebbiolo ripens fully while retaining freshness and tension, resulting in Barolo that is both formidable and refined.

The estate is led by Claudio Fantino, with deep family roots in Monforte, and shaped historically by the late Guido Conterno, whose influence helped define a new era of Barolo that respected tradition while embracing precision. Conterno Fantino became associated with the so called modern movement in Barolo during the 1980s and 1990s, yet their wines have always remained grounded in terroir rather than technique. Vineyard work is meticulous, yields are low, and cellar practices are carefully calibrated to express site above all else, allowing the formidable character of Ginestra to shine through without excess.

In the glass Vigna Sori Ginestra shows a deep garnet core with ruby edges, opening slowly to reveal complex aromas of rose petal, black cherry, sour plum, licorice, tar, dried herbs and iron rich earth. The palate is powerful and commanding, layering dark red fruits, spice, truffle and mineral depth with dense, fine grained tannins that build across the mouth and linger long after the finish. Despite its intensity, there is precision and balance throughout, a hallmark of great Monforte Barolo. This is a wine made for serious food such as braised beef, wild game, truffles and aged Parmigiano, and for long cellaring, evolving magnificently over twenty to thirty years as leather, dried flowers and savoury complexity emerge.

Conterno Fantino Barolo Ginestra Vigna Sori Ginestra is Barolo at its most uncompromising and noble, a wine that speaks clearly of place, history and one of Piedmont’s most important families, offering both immense power and profound elegance in equal measure.