2016 Diego Conterno Baluma Langhe Nebbiolo Piedmont 750 ml

Being born with the name “Conterno” in Barolo is like having the name Ferrari in Modena: It is Italian shorthand for class and high-quality. Today, that quality doesn’t come with a Ferrari-sized price, because Diego Conterno has mastered what the Italian automaker never will: combining quality and value in an unbeatable combination. 

Today’s Diego Conterno 2016 “Baluma” is our top value Nebbiolo diamond in the rough—a baby Barolo and new Italian love affair for Pinot Noir drinkers, and the chance to drink Italy’s best every night. Garnet in color, this violet and herb-laced red gives way to a medium-bodied, strawberry and cherry fruited wine.

In Piedmont, where the Nebbiolo grape variety reigns supreme, perfectly manicured rows of vineyards run at various aspects, some in southwest-facing rows, others in east-west configurations, creating a patchwork of fields interrupted only by terra-cotta exteriors with red-tiled roofs that run right up to hilltop peaks, creating a seemingly-endless world dedicated to winegrowing.  

Conterno began making wine under those pristine skies 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—“nuanced, classically inspired wines of real character,” as Antonio Galloni of Vinous put it—and could certainly fetch higher asking prices than they do. As one happy Wine Access Member said, this red is “Seriously overdelivering for the price.”

Luckily for us (and the rest of Diego’s global fan club of sommeliers, retailers, and collectors) his commitment to delivering quality at an every night price isn’t waning—a rarity in the Piedmontese hillsides that yield some of the world’s most collectible reds, which routinely fetch four-digit prices at auction. The ‘16 Baluma—from a vintage Decanter called “very promising”—offers the same world-class flavor, complexity, and ageability at $22. No, it’s not too good to be true. 

For this 2016 Diego Conterno Nebbiolo d’Alba “Baluma,” organic grapes grown on the southwestern facing Monguglielmo hill are given a brief five-day fermentation, then aged for six months in 500-liter barrels, a fairly quick process that contributes a striking freshness in the wine. The final result shows another vintage of ripe and vibrant, but serious Nebbiolo, showing red berry fruit with classic Piedmontese crushed violet florals and wild herb notes, all balanced by elongated tannins and a juicy finish. 

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. Whether you crack into a bottle now, or over the next five to seven years, this is a fantastic value from one of Piedmont’s most exacting and exciting producers.