Giacomo Conterno, Barolo, Cascina Francia 2004 Pinot Noir Not mistaking ripeness of fruit

Not mistaking ripeness of fruit combined with French oak creating a synergy that it "classic" New World Chardonnay and Hawke's Bay

eventually minerality

Elegant and wonderfully precise

concentrated attack becomes even more impressive with laser-like precision to its full-bodied

but the large crop in 2018 and 2019 served to soften the tannins

Giacomo Conterno, Barolo, Cascina Francia 2004 Pinot Noir Not mistaking ripeness of fruit98 points Vinous The 2004 Barolo Cascina Francia boasts staggering depth and explosive intensity from the very first taste. One of the most brooding, backward 2004s, the Cascina Francia is one of the only wines in this vintage that I am slightly disappointed to have opened, as it is so intensely backward. Hints of sage, tobacco, menthol, rose petal and graphite open up in the glass, recalling just how mesmerizing the 2004 was in cask. At once silky,