The late Aldo Conterno gave me this bottle when I turned 50 a few years ago and I found it last night and decided to drink it with friends. Great old bottles are so evocative and I kept thinking about the amazing winemaker, Aldo, as we drank the wine. Aldo was so amazing. I thought of the many stories he told me especially about how he was drafted into the U.S. Army and fought in the Korean conflict in the 1950s. He could speak perfect English with a New Jersey accent! He said he picked up the accent from the GIs he served with. Anyway, the 1958 was amazing last night and it came from the same lot of his father’s legendary 1958 Conterno Monfortino. Aldo told me he kept a few demijohns for himself in the late 1960s when he started his own winery. And what a wine it was last night. Truly spectacular. Dark colored brick red, it showed amazing aromas of mushroom, dried fruits and sweet tobacco leafs. It was full-bodied, with chewy and rich tannins and very ripe fruit. It lasted for minutes on the palate. A perfect wine. 100 points.
