Winemaker Notes
Expressive floral nose with notes of red berries, plums, licorice and spices. The Nebbiolo in Conteisa reflects the essence of the Cerequio terroir: sumptuous texture and a very refined character with perfectly integrated tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2004 Langhe Conteisa, from vineyards in La Morra, is especially dark-toned and rich in this vintage. Made in an uncharacteristically weighty, opulent style for this wine, it reveals plenty of ripe dark fruit, spices, new leather, licorice and tar. With air it gradually turns more feminine and delicate, yet it remains a gorgeous, sumptuous wine of outstanding pedigree. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2022.
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Wine & Spirits
Conteisa, Angelo Gaja's blend of nebbiolo (92 percent) and barbera from Cerequio (a hillside between Barola and La Morra), is a powerful, modern wine in 2004. The tannins are firm and youtfully gripping, with plenty of anise-scented fruit to fill them out. The overall impression is clean, while the length of flavor suggests the wine has many years of development ahead.
Attracting the most glory, prestige and fame to the Piedmont region, Nebbiolo in all of its expressions—Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero, Ghemme and Gattinara—creates a complex wine, truly unique for its delicate qualities combined with strength and a great potential to improve over time.
But Nebbiolo isn’t all there is to red wine from Piedmont! Barbera is the most planted variety and historically most popular as a dependable, food-friendly, everyday wine.
Beyond these two, a surprising number of red varieties call Piedmont their home. Worth a try include Dolcetto for its bold concentration and aromas of spice cake. Other grapes to investigate include Freisa, Croatina, Brachetto, Grignolino and Pelaverga.