Aldo Conterno "Il Favot" Langhe Nebbiolo 2022
We have 12 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Il Favot wears a modest Langhe Nebbiolo label, but every grape comes from Barolo-designated vineyards. Poderi Aldo Conterno farms about 25 hectares, all of it in Bussia Soprana in Monforte d'Alba, on the three highest hills of the cru at roughly 400 meters. The soils are calcareous clay, and the steep main slopes face south and southwest. This is the same ground that feeds the estate's Romirasco, Cicala, and Colonnello Barolos; Il Favot simply draws on the younger vines across those holdings. The clay gives Nebbiolo from Bussia its depth and dark cherry fruit, the limestone gives it grip, and the altitude keeps the acidity bright through a warm Monforte summer.
The Wine
Aldo Conterno once said that vanilla, toast, spice, and sweet tannins do not belong in Barolo. Il Favot is where the estate puts its new oak instead. Aldo Conterno Il Favot Langhe Nebbiolo 2022 is 100% Nebbiolo from young vines, given a short maceration of six to eight days to pull color without heavy tannin, then aged 15 to 18 months in new French barriques from Allier. Expect dried strawberry, red plum, and sour cherry, rose and violet, then tobacco, cedar, and a touch of anise, with silky, fine-grained tannin, fresh acidity, and a smoky, floral finish. The 2022 season has been called the driest in Piedmont's history and among the hottest; vines stayed small, clusters were small, and the Nebbiolo harvest came 10 to 15 days early.
The People
Aldo Conterno was the second son of Giacomo Conterno, the family behind Monfortino. Born in 1931, he left for California in 1954 to help start a winery with his uncles, was drafted into the U.S. Army, and served two years in Korea before coming home. In 1961 he and his older brother Giovanni took over the family estate. By 1969 they had parted ways, and Aldo founded Poderi Aldo Conterno with about 14 hectares in Bussia, buying the Romirasco vineyard outright in 1980 after years of leasing it. Aldo died in 2012 at 81. His sons Franco, Stefano, and Giacomo, who had been running the estate since the late 1990s, carried it forward. The vineyards are farmed organically, and production has been cut sharply since 2001 to keep only the best fruit.
Food Pairing
The barrique polish and bright acidity make Il Favot an easier dinner partner than young Barolo. Pappardelle with a slow-cooked wild boar ragù is the natural start; the acidity cuts the rich sauce and the fine tannin grips the meat. A pan-roasted veal chop basted with sage butter works because the wine's rose and violet aromatics meet the sage while the acidity trims the butter. Roast duck legs with cherries and thyme pick up the red fruit, and a wedge of aged Castelmagno with walnuts leans on the cedar and tobacco. This is the bottle for the night you want Barolo character without waiting a decade.
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Piedmont, framed by the Alps in northwestern Italy, is a land of rolling hills and carefully cultivated vineyards. The continental climate, with its cold winters and warm summers, creates prime conditions for the Nebbiolo grape, which dominates much of the region's red wine production. The Langhe area is home to Barolo and Barbaresco, structured red wines known for their complex aromas, firm tannins, and aging potential. While Nebbiolo is the dominant grape of Piedmont, the region also makes interesting white wines like those from Arneis and Timorasso. Alto Piemonte is a separate region in the north with its own distinctive expressions of Nebbiolo, alongside other red grape varietals.
Italy - Piedmont
Nebbiolo, a prestigious grape from Italy's Piedmont region, is celebrated for its profound truffle and rose aromas, complex flavors, and ability to age gracefully thanks to strong acidity and tannins, producing the renowned Barolo and Barbaresco wines.
