Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala 2021
Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala 2021
Cicala is the most masculine vineyard in the Conterno portfolio. Anyone familiar with the elegant, floral Colonnello from the same Bussia hilltop will be surprised here. Less sand, more clay. Less playfulness, more pressure. The calcareous clay soil is enriched with iron and limestone – minerals that give the wine the structural strength that distinguishes it from its siblings. The vines are 40 to 45 years old, facing south to south-west, and what grows here is mainly Nebbiolo Lampia on Rupestris du Lot rootstock. Only three producers own plots in this part of Bussia: Conterno, Prunotto and Bussia Soprana. Six hectares in total, around 800 crates per vintage. A rarity. Fermentation in steel tanks at 28°C, five to six weeks of maceration, then 29 months in 25-hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels – no barrique, never. Aldo Conterno once said: "Vanilla, toast and spice do not belong in Barolo." The barrels are scraped every two years and used for a maximum of eight years. After ageing, the wine spends a few months in steel before being bottled unfiltered.
Critical Acclaim
97 James Suckling
A super intense and fragrant Barolo, graceful and powerful, with aromas of Parma violets, citrus, leaves, lush cherries and yellow stone fruit. On the palate, it is full-bodied and shows a velvety texture, ripe tannins despite the extraction, taut acidity and graphite flavours. Long, luscious finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2027.
97 Wine Spectator
This red wine is round, fleshy and expressive, with flavours of cherries, raspberries, hibiscus, iron and sweet spices. The supple texture is balanced by dense but refined tannins as this red wine expands on the bright and kaleidoscopic finish.
95 Vinous
The 2021 Barolo Cicala is packed with dark fruit, iron, gravel, incense, tobacco, dried herbs and chocolate. Time in the glass brings out a more mineral dimension, but the 2021 is a decidedly rich, ample Cicala. Even so, all the elements are very nicely balanced. I would give this a few years in bottle to come around.
Original: $249.99
-65%$249.99
$87.50Product Information
Product Information
Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
Description
Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala 2021
Cicala is the most masculine vineyard in the Conterno portfolio. Anyone familiar with the elegant, floral Colonnello from the same Bussia hilltop will be surprised here. Less sand, more clay. Less playfulness, more pressure. The calcareous clay soil is enriched with iron and limestone – minerals that give the wine the structural strength that distinguishes it from its siblings. The vines are 40 to 45 years old, facing south to south-west, and what grows here is mainly Nebbiolo Lampia on Rupestris du Lot rootstock. Only three producers own plots in this part of Bussia: Conterno, Prunotto and Bussia Soprana. Six hectares in total, around 800 crates per vintage. A rarity. Fermentation in steel tanks at 28°C, five to six weeks of maceration, then 29 months in 25-hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels – no barrique, never. Aldo Conterno once said: "Vanilla, toast and spice do not belong in Barolo." The barrels are scraped every two years and used for a maximum of eight years. After ageing, the wine spends a few months in steel before being bottled unfiltered.
Critical Acclaim
97 James Suckling
A super intense and fragrant Barolo, graceful and powerful, with aromas of Parma violets, citrus, leaves, lush cherries and yellow stone fruit. On the palate, it is full-bodied and shows a velvety texture, ripe tannins despite the extraction, taut acidity and graphite flavours. Long, luscious finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2027.
97 Wine Spectator
This red wine is round, fleshy and expressive, with flavours of cherries, raspberries, hibiscus, iron and sweet spices. The supple texture is balanced by dense but refined tannins as this red wine expands on the bright and kaleidoscopic finish.
95 Vinous
The 2021 Barolo Cicala is packed with dark fruit, iron, gravel, incense, tobacco, dried herbs and chocolate. Time in the glass brings out a more mineral dimension, but the 2021 is a decidedly rich, ample Cicala. Even so, all the elements are very nicely balanced. I would give this a few years in bottle to come around.
