We were delighted to receive our 2015 Baroli from Diego Conterno & Fratelli Alessandria into the Seckford cellars this week.
The 2015 vintage is an utter triumph in Barolo and we firmly beleive these two growers are making some of the finest and best value Barolo in the region.
Antonio Galloni of Vinous Media says of Fratelli Alessandria – ‘These remain some of the finest, artisan, traditionally-made Barolos you will find’.
Whilst of Diego Conterno he says ‘Conterno and his son, Stefano, craft nuanced, classically inspired wines of real character’
Fratelli Alessandria
2015 Barolo Monvigliero - £350 per 6 bottles IB.
96+ Points, The Wine Advocate
Monvigliero in the Verduno township is quickly becoming one of the most celebrated and talked about crus in Barolo. The Fratelli Alessandria estate was among the first to understand its potential, and indeed, this wine was first released in 1978. Fast forward to today and you will find that the 2015 Barolo Monvigliero is an absolutely classic interpretation that stays faithful to past incarnations. The wine offers pretty berry aromas intermingled with spice, licorice and crushed stone. A floral aroma of red rose also appears. The tannins are solid and will require extra years of bottle aging.
2015 Barolo Gramolere - £290 per 6 bottles IB.
95+ Points, Wine Advocate
The 2015 Barolo Gramolere (with fruit from Monforte d'Alba) opens to a medium-dark ruby color. When you put the wine to your lips, you immediately feel the power, structure and inner fiber of Nebbiolo as interpreted in this two-hectare parcel with its 30-year-old vines. In fact, this wine is defined by that immediate firmness. The aromas, however, are softer and more yielding with forest fruit, wild berry, crushed slate and blue flower. I would suggest putting this wine aside for five more years at least.
2015 Barolo San Lorenzo di Verduno - £270 per 6 bottles IB.
94 Points, Wine Advocate
Showing an immediately ripe and saturated quality of fruit, the 2015 Barolo San Lorenzo di Verduno is a child of the warm 2015 vintage. The bouquet leaves you no doubt. This wine offers a rich and exuberant approach with dark fruit nuances that cede slowly to spice, tar and black licorice. This Barolo shows depth and dark fruit, both in abundance. The quality of the tannins is still a bit rigid and less integrated at this young stage in the wine's life. You'll need to wait longer to truly enjoy these results.
2015 Barolo – £187 per 6 bottles IB.
94 Points, Wine Advocate
From one of the stars of Verduno, Fratelli Alessandria, the 2015 Barolo is a beautifully elegant and compact wine at first. Give it a few moments in the glass, and the wine opens beautifully to reveal polished and detailed tones of wild berry, cassis, licorice and tar. All of this is followed by a delicate floral signature of violets and roses that accompany the wine from start to finish. This vintage is elegant yet voluptuous at the same time.
Diego Conterno
2015 Barolo, Diego Conterno - £
88-92 Points (Vinous Media)
The 2015 Barolo is a very pretty wine with plenty of Monforte character in its balsamic profile and bright, energetic tannins. The sample I tasted, taken from cement, was a bit low in SO2, which tends to flatten wines a bit. Even so, there is quite a bit of both depth and pedigree, not to mention the translucent character that makes Nebbiolo so compelling.
2015 Barolo, Ginestra, Diego Conterno - £
92 Points (Vinous Media)
The 2015 Barolo Ginestra is gracious and quite elegant. Pine, mint, sweet red cherry and anise are laced together in a subtle, wonderfully nuanced Barolo loaded with class and personality. Classically built and yet quite approachable, the 2015 Ginestra is going to be hard to resist in the early going.