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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
During the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, the Conternos could produce their epic Barolos by relying on small, independent farmers who worked their old, low-yielding vines. But by the 1970s, those farmers began increasingly to make their own wines. Threatened with the loss of their fruit sources, Giovanni acquired Serralunga’s great Cascina Francia vineyard. With its fabulous exposure, and predominately calcareous soil, the site was perfect for the powerful Conterno style, and soon Cascina Francia became the sole source of their wines.
Since 1978, both Barolos—Monfortino and Cascina Francia—have been sourced exclusively from Cascina Francia. Monfortino represents, of course, a selection of the best grapes in the greatest years. But it also made differently, first undergoing an uncontrolled fermentation at relatively high temperatures. On average, Monfortino also remains an additional three years longer in large oak casks (botti). Monfortino’s extra aging in cask, says Roberto, is a consequence of the extraordinary structure, power and concentration of the wine.
Vuosikerta 1995
1995 marked the beginning of a series of strong vintages. Indeed, 1995 itself was a year that saw tribulations transformed into triumphs. Spring started off nicely with warm weather only to turn rainy during the blooming period, which effectively stopped fertilisation at its halfway point. An extremely hot July made a dramatic transition into a chilly August. Excess moisture also led to the spread of mold-related diseases. This moisture, however, was duly evaporated by the Indian summer that followed, thus saving the vintage. In Piedmont August hailstorms destroyed as much as 70% of plantations in some areas. Tuscany was spared from the hail and the hot topic of discussion that autumn was the 45-day stretch without rain just before the harvest.
Wines from this vintage are very long-lasting and still require further bottle maturation to reach their full potential. In my opinion, the Chianti Classicos should be drunk right now, even though they could do with a bit more maturation.