Monfortino is the summit of traditional Barolo—perhaps the most revered Italian wine in existence. Giacomo Conterno conceived it after returning from World War I, envisioning a wine with extraordinary aging potential, and named it for his home village of Monforte d'Alba. Since 1978, it has been sourced exclusively from the legendary Francia vineyard in Serralunga d'Alba, where high-altitude limestone-clay soils produce Nebbiolo of immense structure and longevity. The winemaking is extreme even by traditional standards: maceration in giant conical vats without temperature control for up to five weeks, followed by a minimum of seven years in large Slavonian oak botti before bottling. The 1999 vintage delivered ideal conditions across the Northern Italian growing season, producing Barolo of memorable structure and density. This Monfortino is now over twenty-five years old and just entering its prime—still youthful, with decades of development ahead. Tar, dried roses, truffle, and tobacco over an immense tannic framework that will continue to evolve. One of the greatest wines of the vintage and of the estate.