Langhe Nebbiolo Cerretta, Giacomo Conterno 2009

Conterno’s 2009 Langhe Nebbiolo Cerretta is a pretty, accessible wine laced with sweet red berries, crushed flowers and mint. The 2009 shows a vineyard still in the process of being converted to high-quality farming, and perhaps some slight damage from the previous year’s hail storms, as it is a delicate, somewhat fragile wine. Roberto Conterno gave the 2009 three years in cask, meaning the 2009 could have been bottled as Barolo, but Conterno wanted to wait for a more important vintage for his debut Barolo from this site. He got it one year later in 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019.

Featuring cherry and raspberry fruit, this bright, iron- and sanguine-inflected red is rich and well-integrated. Shows purity and intensity, with a lingering finish of fruit and mineral. Best from 2015 through 2026. 550 cases made.