2018 | Nervi | Conterno Gattinara

Extraordinary in its complexity and nuance, the 2018 dazzles with a kaleidoscope of aromas, flavors and textures. Kirsch, hard candy, flowers and lively acids captivate the senses.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Roberto Conterno acquired Nervi in 2018, and this is the first vintage in which the brand name is listed as Conterno Nervi (as opposed to Nervi Conterno, or just Nervi). Fully under his winemaking watch, the 2018 Gattinara comes from a vintage that performed well in this part of Alto Piemonte. Roberto had the confidence to produce his two single-vineyard expressions (Vigne Molsino and Valferana) in 2018, which is not exactly intuitive, as the growing season proved more challenging in other parts of Piedmont. But Roberto interprets each vintage with a keen eye and deft approach that is often contrary to his peers. I think what stands out here is the freshness, the balance of acidity that plays nicely into the minerality of the wine and the brightness of its wild rose and redcurrant flavors. This Gattinara carries a lot of fruit and primary intensity, all backed by subtle touches of balsam herb and soft tarry end notes. This 2018 underlines the elegance in Nebbiolo.

• Vinous: The 2018 Gattinara is a stunning wine in the making. Extraordinary in its complexity and nuance, the 2018 dazzles with a kaleidoscope of aromas, flavors and textures. Kirsch, hard candy, flowers and lively acids captivate the senses. The 2018 is elegant, weightless and full of character. It is, quite frankly, everything Gattinara can and should be. This is a great place to start for readers who want to know why the 2018 vintage is so magical at Nervi-Conterno. If it weren't for the single-vineyard wines, I would have said the 2018 is one of the very best wines that have ever been made here!

Producer Information

Nervi is a historic, benchmark Gattinara producer possessing some of the most prized vineyard holdings in all of the appellation. The winery was founded in 1906 by Italo Nervi and is the oldest Cantina in Gattinara, though many of the vineyards had already been in the family dating back as far as 1679. The estate comprises 28.5 hectares of vineyards including their top crus of Molsino and Valferana as well as Garavoglie and Casacce. These are historic crus in Gattinara – mentions of Molsino in town records date as far back as 1471 and those of Valferana date back to 1231! The Nervi family built up the reputation of the estate, running it continually until 1991 when a steel magnate named Germano Bocciolone purchased the estate. Twenty years later, a group of Norwegian investors led by a passionate wine collector, Erling Astrup, purchased the winery. Astrup endeavored to push the level of quality at Nervi and sought out advice from his longtime friend Roberto Conterno. In 2018, the group decided to sell the winery and, wanting to see it fall into good hands, felt it was best to offer it first to Roberto Conterno. While Roberto had not been actively seeking out a new winery, the opportunity to acquire such an historic estate with great vineyard holdings of Nebbiolo was too hard to pass up. Roberto’s aim, along with his sons, is to apply the same fastidious attention to detail and quality to the wines of Nervi as he does to those of the Giacomo Conterno estate. The wines are already traditional, pure and age-worthy and they are surely only going to get better from here! Gattinara was awarded DOC status in 1967, and later upgraded to DOCG in 1990. According to David Lynch and Joe Bastianich’s book, Vino Italiano, “Gattinara represents the purest expression of the northern [Piedmont] zones.” The soil in Gattinara is composed largely of volcanic gravel – remnants of an extinct super volcano which collapsed 280 million years ago. The gravel is rich in minerals (iron, zinc, magnesium and manganese) and clay. This volcanic soil imbues a distinct minerality which sets them apart from the neighboring appellations of Ghemme, Lessona and Bramaterra. The winery focuses on three Gattinara bottlings – Gattinara, Gattinara Molsino and Gattinara Valferana. The single-vineyard bottlings contain the best fruit from those vineyards whereas the third bottling contains the best fruit from Garavoglie and Casacce as well as some wine declassified from Molsino and Valferana. The Gattinara spends a minimum of 3 years in large oak whereas both crus see at least four years in large oak. In addition the three Gattinara, they make a delicious rosato from Nebbiolo with a touch of Uva Rara.

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