2016 Gattinara Vigna Valferana

I have visited Nervi several times over the years, but it was the visit just after Roberto Conterno acquired the estate that sticks in my mind most because even then, the vision for what would follow was evident. Since then, Conterno and his team have made a series of stellar wines. There are three Gattinaras in the range. The straight Gattinara is the most approachable of the wines and is therefore released a year earlier, although aging for all three wines is three years in wood. The two vineyard designates – Molsino and Valferrana – offer different shades of complexity, finesse and intensity, depending on the year. The Molsino is the first of the two single vineyards to ripen and can be a bigger wine, while the Valferrana ripens later because of its somewhat more sheltered position. All three were memorable.

Readers often ask if the Nervi wines are of comparable quality to the Barolos. I don’t think of wine as a competition. Some vintages may favor one appellation over another, the most striking example being 2018, when the Nervi wines were quite a bit more complex than the Conterno Barolos. Aside from those cases, the wines from the two estates can absolutely stand side by side. In fact, that is how I taste them every year.

I have visited Nervi several times over the years, but it was the visit just after Roberto Conterno acquired the estate that sticks in my mind most because even then, the vision for what would follow was evident. Since then, Conterno and his team have made a series of stellar wines. There are three Gattinaras in the range. The straight Gattinara is the most approachable of the wines and is therefore released a year earlier, although aging for all three wines is three years in wood. The two vineyard designates – Molsino and Valferrana – offer different shades of complexity, finesse and intensity, depending on the year. The Molsino is the first of the two single vineyards to ripen and can be a bigger wine, while the Valferrana ripens later because of its somewhat more sheltered position. All three were memorable.

Readers often ask if the Nervi wines are of comparable quality to the Barolos. I don’t think of wine as a competition. Some vintages may favor one appellation over another, the most striking example being 2018, when the Nervi wines were quite a bit more complex than the Conterno Barolos. Aside from those cases, the wines from the two estates can absolutely stand side by side. In fact, that is how I taste them every year.

Roberto Conterno follows his 2018s with a set of 2019s that is equally compelling. The 2019s are perhaps a bit more austere and less forthcoming at this stage than the 2018s. That won't be an issue for readers who can exercise a bit of patience. The 2019s were vinified in wood uprights. Malolactic fermentations followed quickly, as they often do at Nervi-Conterno. The wines spent about 32 months in oak prior to being bottled. All three 2019s were bottled at the same time, but the crus see an extra year in bottle prior to being released.

I fully expected that Roberto Conterno would elevate quality at Nervi upon his acquisition of the winery in 2018. What I did not expect was that the change would happen so fast and that the makeover would be so extreme. A historic estate, Nervi had fallen on rough times in which quality was all over the place. Before his acquisition, Conterno had started consulting on an informal basis for the former owners, so he had a running start. Even so, the investments here have been considerable and include a new winery and a state of the art bottling line, which means Conterno owns two more of these gleaming machines than most wineries around the world. It was not that long ago that Conterno answered all phone calls himself at the family winery in Monforte. Since then, he has elevated the wines at two estates through passion, conviction and relentless drive. Just as impressively, though, Conterno has built a strong team to execute on his vision. The importance of that can’t possibly be overstated. As for the 2018 Gattinaras, they are special wines that very much merit your consideration.

Roberto Conterno’s acquisition of Nervi in 2018 made waves and has brought a whole new level of interest to Alto Piemonte. I visited just a few months after the purchase was complete and Conterno had already added temperature control to the cellar. Since then, Conterno has built a new winery and added the same state of the art bottling line he has at Giacomo Conterno. The range of wines is now streamlined to three Gattinaras; the straight Gattinara bottling plus the single vineyard Molsino and Valferrana, plus the Rosé, a longtime favorite at the winery. The newest project is a sparkling wine that has not yet been released, but that appears quite promising, based on what I have tasted so far.

Roberto Conterno’s acquisition of Nervi in 2018 made waves and has brought a whole new level of interest to Alto Piemonte. I visited just a few months after the purchase was complete and Conterno had already added temperature control to the cellar. Since then, Conterno has built a new winery and added the same state of the art bottling line he has at Giacomo Conterno. The range of wines is now streamlined to three Gattinaras; the straight Gattinara bottling plus the single vineyard Molsino and Valferrana, plus the Rosé, a longtime favorite at the winery. The newest project is a sparkling wine that has not yet been released, but that appears quite promising, based on what I have tasted so far.