The 2020 Barolo Francia is a soaring, classically austere wine built for the cellar. Medium in body and driving, with tons of mineral intensity, the 2020 is an evocative wine that makes me think about the future. This is what young Barolo should be - vibrant and stern, but with the purity of fruit that is typical here. The 2020 is so wonderfully alive (Drink between 2028-2050)

Bright red pale in color, the 2020 Barolo Francia is gorgeous with a bit more structure and depth, though it remains elegant all the way through. Its ripe, pure notes of fresh cherries, roses, incense, and spice are followed by a medium-bodied red with structured, ripe tannins, energetic lift, and gorgeous notes of apricot and tea leaf on the incredibly long finish. While it certainly boasts more depth compared to the 2018, its elegant profile harkens to the gracefulness expressed in many of the best wines in that vintage. It's outstanding all the way through and is going to offer a tremendous amount of pleasure over the next 20 or more years. Drink 2025-2045.

To officially taste Giacomo Conterno's Monfortino 2020, one will have to wait until October 2026, however the Francia is released this year. The wine underwent a brief fermentation and maceration in wood with ageing mainly in large Austrian oak barrels. The wine shines with classic notes of dried cherry, sweet violet, watermelon and rhubarb, focused on elegance with incredible savouriness. Fresh with soft, chewy tannins, still young but elegant. (Drink between 2025-2035)