NV Barolo Cerretta Vertical (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 – ex Rino Fontana)

2010 Barolo Cerretta A much more overt, powerful wine, the 2010 Barolo Cerretta races across the palate with explosive fruit and tons of pure, unbridled energy. The Cerretta is an immediate, voluptuous wine with so much fruit that the tannins of the vintage are nearly buried. It will be fascinating to see how Conterno's 2010s age. The Cerretta is shaping up to be magical. Bottled only in magnums. 96+Pts Antonio Galloni 2011 Barolo Cerretta A dark, virile wine, the 2011 Barolo Cerretta shows just how far Conterno has come with this site. The flavors are dark, bold and incisive throughout, with plenty of dark red cherry, plum, leather, smoke, tar, licorice and scorched earth overtones. Powerful and intense, with a real sense of vertical structure, Cerretta is going to need time to settle down. There is none of the early appeal of the vintage here, so readers will have to be patient. This is going to be a fascinating wine to follow as it ages over the coming decades. 95+Pts Antonio Galloni 2012 Barolo Cerretta The 2012 Barolo Cerretta is intriguing to taste next to the Francia, as it is much more shut down and affected by its recent bottling. Today the tannins are searing and large-grained, a characteristic this wine did not show from barrel. The clay-rich soils in Cerretta tend to give a broader style of Barolo compared to Francia, where limestone is prevalent, and that is very much what comes through today. Hints of dark red cherry, plum, smoke, leather, tobacco and licorice struggle to emerge from a wall of tannin. Today, the Cerretta is a brute, with little of the perfume and finesse it showed in cask. Readers will have to be patient. The only question is how much. 94+Pts Antonio Galloni 2013 Barolo Cerretta Roberto Conterno opened the 2013 Barolo Cerretta as a comparison with the 2014. Powerful, dense and incredibly tannic, the 2013 is a potent, classically austere Barolo that will only soften with time. The only question is how much. Sage, licorice and rose petal overtones start to emerge with air, but readers should not be thinking of opening bottles any time in the near future. 97Pts Antonio Galloni 2014 Barolo Cerretta Just as it was from barrel, the 2014 Barolo Cerretta is a total stunner. Gracious, perfumed and light on its feet, the Cerretta has so much to say. Time in the glass just serves to bring out the wine's striking inner perfume, natural depth and crystalline intensity. Despite its relatively recent bottling, the 2014 is super-expressive, with tons of detail and a finish that goes on forever. The 2014 Cerretta has a lot to offer, although today the wine's aromatic depth and silkiness are especially alluring. 97+Pts Antonio Galloni 2015 Barolo Cerretta Conterno's 2015 Barolo Cerretta is sensual and inviting, until the firm Nebbiolo tannins kick in. Bright floral and orange zest notes perk up a core of sweet red cherry fruit. Medium in body and beautifully persistent, the Cerretta is positively stellar. Just as it was from barrel, the 2015 is so refined, so alluringly young, that it really does not seem like a Serralunga Barolo at all. 96Pts Antonio Galloni 2016 Barolo Cerretta The 2016 Barolo Cerretta is an incredibly elegant wine, so much so that opening a bottle now is far from a crime. That may sound heretical, but it's a good example of how finessed young Barolo can be when it gets the kind of care it has here. It's also important to note that while Cerretta is in Serralunga, this pocket of vineyards is more similar to those in La Morra in terms of geology, so the wines are correspondingly much more approachable in their youth. Silky tannins wrap around a core of bright red berry fruit, spice and floral notes in a pliant, mid-weight Barolo that is all class. 95Pts Antonio Galloni# 2017 Barolo Cerretta Conterno's 2017 Barolo Cerretta offers a classic expression of this Serralunga site. The tannins are just a bit nervy today, which lends a feeling of energy and brightness that is palpable. Bright floral and white pepper accents lift bright red-toned fruit in a Barolo that is wonderfully translucent and nuanced. 95Pts Antonio Galloni 2018 Barolo Cerretta The 2018 Barolo Cerretta comes across as a touch linear in this vintage. Then again, that is the style of the year. Lavender, rose petal, mint, dried flowers, licorice and blood orange are nicely woven together. The 2018 is an attractive wine to be sure, but it also shows the nervy, edgy style of the year. 93Pts Antonio Galloni 2019 Barolo Cerretta The 2019 Barolo Cerretta has shut down considerably since I last tasted it, but the elements are also more put together in that the wine is a harmonious whole rather than a combination of individual components. Dark red fruit, rose petal, orange peel, spice and dried herbs are beautifully sketched. I would not dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. 96Pts Antonio Galloni