WTN: 2007 Giacomo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Cascina Francia

2007 Giacomo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Cascina Francia 15.0%
Since this had the same unpromising 15% alcohol as the previous evening's 2007 Massolino Barbera Gisep, I decanted for two hours, hoping to evaporate some of the heat. No such luck. Aromas were ripe plums borne aloft by evaporating alcohol, almost identical to the Massolino. Do these guys engage in industrial espionage? With time, some eucalyptus and gum arabic made it ever so slightly more interesting. Mouth shows very ripe fruit, but disjointed, with a hollow mid-palate and acidity that tastes like it's in a different room. I don't know what's going on with these Barberas. Except for the lack of overt wood, they have little in common with my internalized concept of what Barbera should be, fun fruit, high acid, civilized alcohol. Is it global warming? Is it group think congealing around economic necessity? The bottle went unfinished, a rare and damning occurrence in this household. From such a hallowed, traditional producer, a big, modern disappointment.

I have very limited experience with Conterno Barbera CF, but from what I've gathered, mostly on TNs by others, these wines are best drunk after extended amount of cellar time. Could it be that you drank one too soon?

I have very limited experience with Conterno Barbera CF, but from what I've gathered, mostly on TNs by others, these wines are best drunk after extended amount of cellar time. Could it be that you drank one too soon?

Could very well be. But I guess the whole point of Barbera for me is immediate gratification. And time may integrate the parts to some extent, but won't, I don't think, mitigate the "vocational error" shown by the excessive ripeness and alcohol.

But I guess the whole point of Barbera for me is immediate gratification..

Immediate gratification, but at less than $42.

Indeed. In Barolo, it cost something like 22 Euro.

Oswaldo,

do you ever put these wines in the fridge for 20 minutes? Maybe you have a nice cool cellar, but I find that if the alcohol is somewhat too high it diminishes if the wine is a bit cooler.

I thought of that after the second Barbera was, like the first, too hot (in the alcohol sense) so I almost cooled the third, the Mascarello, as you suggest. But I didn't because I wanted a level playing field for purposes of comparing the three. But that probably would have helped all three.