Poderi Aldo Conterno

2012 was a year of great sadness for Barolo and for all aficionados of the great Italian wine from this region. It was the year that Aldo Conterno, the “King of Barolo,” passed away.

The celebrated Italian winemaker was born into a wine legacy. The Conterno family had been producing great Piemontese wines for three generations. His father, the legendary Giacomo Conterno, had pushed the family business to the peak of Italian winemaking in the 40s and 50s. Into such family, Aldo was born in 1931, the second son of Giacomo Conterno.

However, the young and ambitious winemaker was not satisfied with the comforts of their home. In 1954, Aldo Conterno left Italy to join his uncles in Napa Valley, California to start a new wine venture. But his vision would take longer than anticipated. He was soon drafted into the U.S. Army and served two years in Korea, leaving with an honorable discharge. He returned to Barolo in 1959 and joined the family business.

Two years later, Giacomo Conterno stepped back from the family operation and handed the reins down to Aldo and his older brother Giovanni. But the partnership would only last eight years. The older Giovanni continued the traditionalist style established by their father, that had pushed the family business to the peak of Barolo, while Aldo wanted to incorporate some of his more modernist perspectives into practice. He was inspired by what he had seen in California and by the likes of Angelo Gaja of Barabresco. Due to the philosophical differences, Aldo ultimately left and acquired Favot in Monforte d’Alba, in 1969.

This is the start of the great Poderi Aldo Conterno. Their wines, stylistically known for their balance and complexity, aren’t considered just modernist. His wines are still subject to Barolo’s famously long aging in large oak. However, Aldo led many modern practices to complement the centuries old practices in Barolo. He substantially reduced the total time his Barolos stayed on the skin and Aldo supported his sons when they began to experiment with smaller barrels. It was this open-mindedness that allowed Poderi Aldo Conterno to develop some of Piedmont’s finest wines. To this day, Favot is famously open to anyone who has a keen interest in Nebbiolo and Barolo.

Today, Aldo’s three sons, Franco, Stefano, and Giacomo Conterno, run the winemaking.