Rating:
93
Antonio Galloni - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"The 2009 Barbera d’Alba Cascina Francia is at first quite a bit more floral and ethereal than the Cerretta, but with time in the glass the wine finds its center. The Cascina Francia dazzles with its combination of expressive, generous fruit and insistent minerality. Sweet herbs, roses, spices, anise, licorice and leather add complexity to a core of radiant fruit. This is a regal, aristocratic Barbera of the highest level. The 2009 has the openness of vintages such as 2007, but with the medium-bodied structure and finesse of silkier vintages such as 2004, which is a very appealing combination. This is a very complete, harmonious wine from Roberto Conterno. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2029."
Product Description:
"Tasting note: Very deep, dark, sappy, savory black cherry, more volume [than Ceretta], nice acids and structure. Antonio Galloni for The Wine Advocate writes: "...As for the new releases, they are drop-dead gorgeous. While some of these wines are increasingly difficult to afford, at the end of the day it is hard to begrudge the commercial success of one of Italy’s historic estates, which in many ways, has been a long time coming. The late Giovanni Conterno and his wife Yvonne made enormous sacrifices over the years. In 1974 they paid a princely sum for their Cascina Francia vineyard, then in the early 1980s they built their current winemaking facility, all while putting five children through school. Today Roberto Conterno makes wines that can hold their own with the very finest wines made anywhere in the world, and in that context theses Barolos remain fairly priced. This is an estate that has achieved its success the hard way, by earning it - not just over the years, but over the decades."" -Importer