Giovanni Conterno: Una Leggenda in Cielo Ed in Terra

The shop’s first tasting with Roberto Conterno, March 17, 2006

Una Leggenda in Cielo Ed in Terra*
(The great master of Piedmont wine - Giovanni Conterno, “Il Papa” passed away February 18, 2004.)

Shakespeare would have had a hard time overestimating the importance of the life of Giovanni Conterno to the world of wine, let alone Giovanni‘s role of father to his son Roberto, or of he himself as a son of Giacomo, his father.

The Barolo zone is a true center to the wines of Piedmont and the little hill town of Monforte D’Alba is a true center of the great wines of Barolo. In a genuine cosmic sense, that Giovanni was born in and spent his entire 77 years in Monforte fits: he was the heart of the center of one of the most profound wines in the world. If accomplishment is at the pinnacle of a man’s professional life then Giovanni Conterno is the waving flag atop of the highest mountain.

Winemaking at the Conterno estate in Piedmont goes back at least to the days when we Americans were writing words on a big sheet of paper that today we called the Constitution. The concern as a winery as we know it began under the tutelage of Giacomo Conterno, Giovanni‘s father, in the early part of the 20th century. Giacomo is considered by all as a great winemaker, a bearer of tradition and one of the first to be solely dedicated to finding ways to produce not just a lot of wine or a good wine, but the best wine. While the Conterno’s make flawless wines across the board with both Barbara and Nebbiolo, it was Giacomo’s idea to make a special wine; the best Barolo possible. In Giacomo’s earlier days the winery purchased grapes. Legend has it that Giacomo would sometimes have been seen walking through many of the local vines with his hunting rifle just before the harvest. It may have been curious that he never fired a shot, but why would he - he was out scouting out who had the best grapes to buy! (A true hunter by any measure.) In 1912 he produced the very first Barolo “Monfortino Riserva”, a wine dedicated to his hometown of Monforte. In time Monfortino went from being a fantastic tribute to Monforte made from purchased grapes, to one of the world’s most singular and very greatest wines coming from vines the family now owns. Giovanni learned priceless lessons from one of the great visionaries of Piedmont. Giacomo’s adamancy to produce wines in a traditional manner stuck with his son, the young Giovanni. Thankfully for us all, Giovanni did not waver when the collective dam broke and winemaking styles were changing radically.

Having learned from a visionary and maintaining a firm grip on quality and tradition, Giovanni produced his first vintage on his own in 1959 - still under the watchful scrutiny of his father. Over the last now 25 years the hands-on winemaking at the winery is done by Giovanni’s son Roberto. As Roberto noted to me sometime ago “I always consult with my father on all the important decisions in making our wines.” When wine drinkers learn of the great traditions of the property, it then comes as no surprise that the official name of the estate steadfastly begins “Azienda Vitivinicola Giacomo Conterno.” It is instructive perhaps, and formidable too, that the singularity of the independent vision of this line of three men, has weathered, and strongly continues to do so, every storm thrown at it.

Beyond greatness, Giovanni was a quiet man whose determination and genius rings clear through his work. It rings clear from his ability to gauge what his father did and said, to recognize it (and taste it) for truth and to build upon it. It rings clear in his unswaying veracity in method, and it rings out loud and enjoyably when you have the honor and pleasure to drink one of his wines.

On the other hand it is a mistake to simply assume that Giovanni never changed a thing. He did build a brand new winery; so clean you could have your dinner off its floor, and modern enough that it could be used to illustrate “hi-tech” to the Wine World. It is said that some of his method was intuitive, and if it is meant that he relied on experience and personal knowledge, then yes. In spite of some of the “state of the art” (whatever that actually means) equipment used at the Azienda Vitivinicola Giacomo Conterno, man always maintains the final decision-making nod.

My memory of Mr. Conterno is indelible. He was quiet, he exhibited dignity, his seriousness was etched upon him, he was whip smart, congeniality lurked, a shyness inhabited his warmth. I could feel that shy reserve of warmth each time we met. He was a man that, when you shook his hand, YOU were happy and you knew he was at least as large as life, if not larger. (If he knew this, it did not show.) The last time we met was no harbinger. After an amazing visit with Roberto, a true winemaking genius himself, I presented Giovanni with an old bottle of Gigondas. in turn he presented me a gracious half-bow and a genuine smile. What better memory can one hope for?

There has been much speculation on what makes the Conterno Monfortino Riserva such a startling wine of grace, equilibrium, power, class and unending finish in the mouth and on the brain. I can recall flavors of bottlings I drank years ago. The haunting quality of Monfortino Riserva is nearly incorporeal. The only way to explain it is to give in - it is startling because it is fantastic and is that not enough? The estate also produces another stunning Barolo, their Cascina Francia, itself a remarkable wine.

Monfortino Riserva is produced in only vintages that the Conterno’s feel it is appropriate. As you could assume, everything needs to be exactly correct in the Vineyard and in the cellar. The production is always small and the wine is always hard to find. It is produced in very large barrels, barrels big enough to fit about six people in rather handily, and the barrels are used for as long as 60 years.

What distinguishes Montfortino Riserva from their Cascina Francia Barolo? It has been widely written that it is how the wine is vinified and how long it is aged. This explanation appears in several books but it always struck me as lacking somehow. Others have assumed it is a single vineyard wine. I asked Roberto about this and he said that it is aged for a longer time than their Francia Barolo and it is vinified traditionally with a longer time for the juice to remain in contact with the skins. But what has been missed in other accounts, or reported incorrectly is that the Monfortino Riserva actually comes from the Cascina Francia parcel in Serralunga and is not necessarily from the same vines each year. As Roberto noted, the selection is from the best grapes and sometimes those are different from one harvest to the next. (This is very reminiscent of another great producer’s method from neighboring France, the wonderful Hermitage of Jean-Louis Chave - made through a somewhat similar selection process.)

Monfortino Riserva is without a doubt wine royalty. It is very clear that Roberto Conterno fully intends to respect and continue the distinguished method laid down by his father Giovanni, and his grandfather Giacomo in making the wines of his land. While the best vintages of Monfortino riserva can age and gain complexity, weight, flavor and depth for 30 years or more, this is only a small factor in how the wine will live in anyone’s mind having tasted the best of them. Time living and alive in the bottle is only a part of its greatness and fame. As best we can tell, for as long as wine is consumed, Monfortino will live on. Let it remain a monument to the man, the region, and the world of wine.

It is easy for me to conjure up this vision: I see Giovanni coming through a door at the far end of his winery; he is moving with a fair gait, slightly leaning forward as he walks. He is wearing a button-down blue and white sweater, dark slacks, and a tie. He cheerfully greets me - explaining he does not speak very good English and that he will go and bring Roberto back with him. He walks away in near total silence with the hint of a glimmer of a grin, more like a caretaker; walking past the pristine walls along the glistening-smooth concrete floor of the winery, toward the stairs, moving along with purpose, one step at a time, upward.

*A Legend In Heaven and On Earth

(March 2004)