2016 Barolo Francia

Roberto Conterno's 2016 Barolos offer fascinating insights into the personalities of three Serralunga crus, Cerretta before the center of town and then Francia and Arione, which are neighbors, on the other side of the village heading towards Monforte. One of the most intriguing aspects of the Conterno winery is that the wines don't always fall into the general beliefs about the overall quality of a given vintage. For example, in both 2014 and 2002, Conterno only bottled his flagship Barolo Monfortino - quite a statement in years that were so challenging elsewhere, but the wines clearly merited that treatment. (Readers with longer memories will remember the exceptional Monfortino of 1987). In 2016, Conterno decided against bottling Monfortino and has long maintained a view that for his wines, 2015 is superior to 2016. I suppose time will ultimately tell. The bottled 2016s are terrific, but they are also a bit more severe (specifically the Francia and Arione) than readers have come to expect in recent vintages. It will be interesting to see how the wines develop in bottle.