Giacomo Conterno - Barbera D'Alba Vigna Francia 2022 (750ml)
Price: $85.00
Sale Price: $75.00
| Producer | Giacomo Conterno |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Piedmont |
| Varietal | Barbera |
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Sku | 9576 |
| Size | 750ml |
Wine Advocate: 93 Points
Barbera does not mind a hot vintage and from that we can extrapolate that this variety has the most latitude when it comes to climate change. However it is also vulnerable to Esca disease and this is a big concern for vintner Roberto Conterno and the winemaking community at large. The 2022 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia sees fruit mostly from the lower part of this celebrated site with vines planted in 1974. Various stages of vine replacement have occurred over the years and the team is now deciding to start more comprehensive replanting efforts. "Things have gotten worse in the last three years" he says. The Francia vineyard has calcareous soils at the top with sandy and blue marl below. That layer is almost as hard as cement he says and it starts to break apart in areas closer to the surface. The soils between upper and lower Francia (with Nebbiolo and Barbera respectively) don't change too much. This is a beautiful wine with lingering aromas of dark fruit sous-bois potting soil and wet iron. The wine's fruit profile grows with time in the glass giving black cherry intensity. With an ample 15.5% alcohol content it offers a very richly developed mouthfeel with extra textural heft. Published: Jan 30 2025
Vinous: 92+ Points
The 2022 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia is a delicate understated wine surprisingly so in this intensely warm dry year. Sweet red-toned cherry/plum fruit blood orange and floral top notes are beautifully delineated. Silky tannins wrap it all together in style. I expected to see a more opulent Barbera here. Instead the 2022 is a bit compact today. That may serve it well over the coming years hence my optimism about its future prospects. - By Antonio Galloni on January 2025 Roberto Conterno has built an impressive empire in the 20 or so years that he has been fully in charge of his family?s winery. I remember the days when it was a one-man show. Back then Conterno pretty much did it all himself including answering the phone. Making great wine is hard enough but Conterno has proven to be equally skilled at the entrepreneurial side of running a business that continues to grow with the acquisition of vineyards the purchase of Nervi winery in Gattinara and peripheral businesses in glassware and automated tractors for viticulture. During my November visit much of the local buzz centered on Conterno?s Belsit in Langa restaurant the new incarnation of Ristorante Bovio which was in a sort of soft opening at the time. I did have a very good meal there but it?s too early in the restaurant?s life to be able to offer a reliable assessment. One thing that did strike me though was Conterno?s desire to champion the wines of many producers not just his own at far more accessible prices than what has become the norm at many other restaurants in the region. Hopefully that will prove to be a sustainable business model. As for the wines readers will find two magnificent vintages in 2021 and 2020. I imagine these Barolos will go neck-and-neck over the coming years and decades. The 2021s are a bit more vibrant and focused while the 2020s are a touch more open without veering into excessive opulence. Simply put Conterno has very few peers when it comes to exceptionally high quality and consistency.
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