2015 Diego Conterno Nebbiolo d'Alba Baluma Piedmont Italy 750 ml

Ever since we discovered his aromatic, powerful, and finely delineated Barolos, we have been in love with Diego Conterno, and the 2015 Nebbiolo d'Alba Baluma is another stunner: Produced at Diego’s hillside winery in Monforte d’Alba, Baluma packs a gorgeous palate of strawberry and cherry, violet, herbs, and mint into a high-value package. This is a perfect wine for Nebbiolo fans seeking a young-drinking baby Barolo, but also for Pinot Noir lovers seeking to step off the beaten path for one of the best under-$20 case-buys we can recall.  

Fruit for Diego’s Nebbiolo d’Alba Baluma is grown organically on the hill of Monguglielmo, which shares the southwest exposure favored throughout Piedmont. Vinified at the same Monforte d’Alba winery where he produces tiny quantities of superb Barolo, Conterno’s Nebbiolo d’Alba Baluma is cut from the same over-delivering cloth. We know our Wine Access friends who became Conterno believers after our Barolo offer will be on board. Add the Italian lovers seeking complex, high-quality Nebbiolo and the Pinot lovers eager to discover another elegant and approachable red, and we can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t love having a case of Conterno on hand. Offered at $19.99 per bottle, shipping included on 6.

Being born with the name Conterno in Barolo is like having the name Ferrari in Modena: It is shorthand for class and high quality. Diego Conterno’s hillside winery overlooks the world-famous village of Monforte d’Alba, surrounded by vineyards. He and his wife Anna have 19 acres of vineyards in the village, including 5 in the Grand Cru of Ginestra.

Diego began making wine in 1982 along with members of his family, and started producing authentic, terroir-driven Barolos at his own operation in 2000. Since then Diego has maintained a small, family-run winery that prizes quality over everything, even price. Diego’s wines are highly pedigreed, and could certainly fetch higher asking prices than they do.

In Piedmont, where price tags continue to climb and average producers are riding the coattails of the greats all the way to the bank, Diego Conterno is bucking the trend, putting out wines that would be a steal at twice their price. The Nebbiolo d’Alba Baluma fits that mold perfectly. Organic grapes grown on the south-western exposed Monguglielmo hill are given a brief five-day fermentation, then aged for six months in 500-liter barrels. The result is a ripe and fresh but serious Nebbiolo showing strawberry and cherry fruit with classic Piedmontese violet and herb notes, soft tannins, and an open-knit finish. Ready to drink now and for the next five years, this is a fantastic value from one of Piedmont’s most exacting and exciting producers. Buy a case—you’ll be glad to have this one at the ready.