Aldo Conterno (1931 – May 30, 2012) was an Italian winemaker of eponymous

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

producer Poderi Aldo Conterno from the Piemonte region in the district of

Langhe The Langhe (; ''Langa'' is from old dialect Mons Langa et Bassa Langa) is a hilly area to the south and east of the river Tanaro in the province of Cuneo and in the province of Asti in Piedmont, northern Italy. It is famous for its wines, chees ...

, chiefly producing

Barolo Barolo ( , , ; pms, bareul ) is a red (DOCG) wine produced in the northern Italian region of Piedmont. It is made from the nebbiolo grape and is often described as one of Italy's greatest wines. The zone of production extends into the commu ...

wines. The winery is located in Monforte d'Alba, and Conterno was widely ranked among Piemonte's foremost producers.

History

Aldo Conterno was born in 1931, the second son of Giacomo Conterno. In 1954, Aldo left Italy and joined two uncles who lived in San Francisco with a view to start a winery in Napa Valley. However, soon after his arrival to the United States he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served for two years in Korea, leaving with an

honorable discharge A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and th ...

and the rank of

Specialist Specialist may refer to: Occupations * Specialist (rank), a military rank ** Specialist (Singapore) * Specialist (arena football) * Specialist degree, in academia * Specialty (medicine) * Designated market maker, in the American stock market * ...

. Conterno returned to Italy after having spent near five years away. Conterno and his older brother Giovanni assumed responsibility of the Giacomo Conterno estate in 1961, but the brothers eventually parted ways over conflicting philosophies on the production of Barolo wine, and in 1969 Aldo Conterno established Poderi Aldo Conterno.Asimov, Eric, ''The New York Times'' (April 5, 2010 )
A Rare Tasting of Conterno Barolos
/ref> While Aldo Conterno had been inspired by the modernist innovations of

Angelo Gaja Gaja is an Italian wine producer from the Piemonte region in the district of Langhe, chiefly producing a number of Barbaresco and Barolo wines, and later diversified into Brunello and "Super-Tuscan" production. Its current owner and president A ...

Barbaresco Barbaresco is an Italian wine made with the Nebbiolo grape. Barbaresco is produced in the Piedmont region in an area of the Langhe immediately to the east of Alba and specifically in the ''comune''s of Barbaresco, Treiso and Neive plus that area ...

, and differs in style and method from the strict traditional methods of his brother Giovanni, Aldo Conterno wines are still considered largely traditional, but for a few exceptions.Kissack, Chris, thewinedoctor.co
Aldo Conterno
/ref>J. Bastianich & D. Lynch ''Vino Italiano'' pg 146, 467-468 Crown Publishing 2005 Aldo Conterno has been described as Piemonte's most talented winemaker,Kramer, Matt, ''Cigar Aficionado'' (April 1, 1999). and his wines have frequently been ranked among finest of the region, often with the emphasis on the balance.Beltrami, Edward, ''The Wine News'' (October/November 1997). British wine publication '' Decanter'' rated Poderi Aldo Conterno among Italy's shortlist of Second Growths.Baudains, Richard, ''Decanter.com'' (March 13, 2007)
Italy's Classed Growths
/ref> The vineyards are now managed using

organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

methodology. During the final years of his life Conterno was semi-retired, leaving control of production in the hands of his three sons, Franco, Stefano and Giacomo Conterno, with the latter in charge.Maresca, Tom, ''The Wine News'' (October/November 2002). Conterno died in Monforte d'Alba on May 30, 2012, aged 81.O'Keefe, Kerin, ''Decanter.com'' (June 3, 2012)
Italian legend Aldo Conterno dies
/ref>Virbila, S. Irene, ''Los Angeles Times'' (May 31, 2012)

/ref>Larner, Monica, ''Wine Enthusiast'' (May 31, 2012)
Italian Wine Legend Aldo Conterno Passes Away

Winemaking practices and style

Among Barolo aficionados the wines of Aldo Conterno have earned a reputation for being "modernist" but with a blend of traditional Barolo winemaking practices. Like many traditional Barolo makers, Conterno favored long aging of his wines prior to their release to the public. For his Riserva Gran Bussia, the wine would typically be aged 3 years in large Slavonian oak casks followed by two years in stainless steel and another year in bottle prior to release. Unlike many modernist Barolo winemakers, Conterno did not use many small oak ''barriques'' however he did adapt to the modernist method of shortening the maceration time during fermentation and pressing the skins earlier than many traditional Barolo producers. These mixture of practices tended to create wines that are often described in wine literature as "powerfully structured" like many traditional producers but with a "depth of fruit" that is often described of modernist Barolo wines. Explaining why he insisted on the use of large, used ''botti'' and never apply French new ''barriques'' for

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

influence, Conterno stated, "Vanilla, toast, spice and sweet tannins don't belong in Barolo". Though committed to the focus on production of Barolo, Conterno remained among the Piemonte producers who were devoted to produce quality Barbera.Kramer, Matt, ''Wine Spectator'' (May 18, 2010)
Belief in Barbera
/ref>

Production

Poderi Aldo Conterno owns around of vineyard land in Bussia Soprana, about 400 meters above sea level. The estimated average production is 140,000 to 150,000 bottles per year.Asenjo, Juancho, '' El Mundo'' (January 18, 2001)
Aldo Conterno, la síntesis de lo más grande de Barolo
/ref> Wines are produced in the '' Denominazione di origine controllata'' zones of Barolo,

Barbera d'Alba Barbera is a red Italian wine grape variety that, as of 2000, was the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy (after Sangiovese and Montepulciano). It produces good yields and is known for deep color, full body, low tannins and high levels ...

Dolcetto d'Alba Dolcetto ( , , ) is a black Italian wine grape variety widely grown in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. The Italian word ''dolcetto'' means "little sweet one", but it is not certain that the name originally carried any reference to th ...

and

. *;Barolo Granbussia A blend of three Bussia vineyards, of approximately 70% Romirasco, 15% Cicala and 15% Colonnello. First produced as a test bottling in 1970, the inaugural commercial vintage was made in 1971 and consisted mostly of fruit from the Cicala and Colonnello vineyards. The wine is cellared for six years before release, spending up to three years in

followed by two years in stainless steel. Around 600 cases are produced only in vintages where all three component vineyards are considered by the winery to have grown outstanding fruit. *;Barolo Romirasco A vineyard with vines aged an average 50 years, the wine is aged in

Slavonia Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja ...

n oak for up to 28 months. The vineyard was purchased in 1980 by the estate, having previously only rented the land. *;Barolo Cicala A vineyard with vines aged an average 50 years, the wine is aged in Slavonian oak for 28 to 30 months. Around are owned by the estate, producing around 800 cases per vintage, with Aldo Conterno stating "Cicala contains less sand and more clay than his other vineyards and tends to make more powerful wines". *;Barolo Colonnello A 1 hectare vineyard with vines aged an average 35–40 years old, the wine is aged in Slavonian oak for up to 28 months. *;Barolo Bussia Soprana From vineyards other than the three ''cru'' vineyards, from vines of at least 20 years age. *;Conca Tre Pile Barrique aged Barbera d'Alba from hillsides of Bussia Soprana, harvested from vines at least 45 years old. *; Il Masante Dolcetto d'Alba *;Il Favot Young vines Nebbiolo influenced by aging for 15 to 18 months in small

Allier Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named afte ...

''barriques''. The difficult 2003 vintage was an exception, with Aldo Conterno deciding to produce no wines with the Barolo designation and declassifying them into the Il Favot label.Kramer, Matt, ''The New York Sun'' (November 29, 2006)
A Fortuitous Mistake
*;Quartetto A blend of 40% Nebbiolo grapes with 25%

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

, 25%

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

and 10% Barbera. *;Bussiador A Chardonnay, aged in barrique for 6 to 8 months. *;Printanié A Chardonnay, aged in stainless steel for 5 to 6 months. *;Bussianella A sparkling wine produced from a grape indigenous to Piedmont, Freisa.

References

External links

Poderi Aldo Conterno official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conterno, Poderi Aldo Italian winemakers 1931 births 2012 deaths United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of the Korean War People from the Province of Cuneo