Castello Conti 2017 Boca Nebbiolo ‘Il Rosso delle Donne’ Piemonte

A stunning Nebbiolo blend from the ancient volcanic soils of Boca in Alto-Piemonte, this wine is for lovers of Nebbiolo with age and evolution in the glass. Elena Conti is a gem in the area, producing refined wines aged in large cask for years. This 2017 Rosso delle Donne is Elena’s top wine, and it shows baked rhubarb pie on the palate with aromas of fresh minerals, sage and dried red flowers. Awesome.

The Conti family are 3^rd generation winemakers in the village of Boca in Alto-Piemonte. They are standard bearers in this tiny area, producing wines of longevity and elegant expression since the 1970’s. It all began with grandfather Ermanno Conti, who had a vision of Boca wines emulating the serious wines of the Langhe, albeit on ancient volcanic and glacial soils. I met his daughter Elena in NYC years ago and we enjoyed her family’s 1987 vintage. Not much has changed since her father’s time, except for small upgrades to viticulture and cellaring. Today, she and her daughters Anna and Paola, hold steadfast to their father traditionalist roots. They work organically in the vineyard and with minimal intervention in the cellar to produce some of the finest Boca wines around.

WINEMAKER: Elena, Anna and Paola Conti

VARIETAL: 75% Nebbiolo, 20% Vespolina, and 5% Uva Rara

APPELLATION: Boca

REGION: Alto-Piemonte

IN THE VINEYARD: Organic

IN THE WINERY: Native yeast, spontaneous fermentation, 3 years in 500l casks

ABV%: 13

SERVE: Open, decant for 30min and serve in a Burgundy-shaped glass