Conterno/Aldo Barolo Cicala 2021

98+ points Ian D'Agata Wine Review: "Another great Cicala. Moderately saturated red colour. Very strong presence of blood orange on the deep, perfumed nose, complicated by hints of watermelon and pomegranate. Very long, deep and complex on the rising, youthfully chewy finish. I find myself liking the wines of Cicala more and more in recent years (something that was almost never the case, and that goes for the wines of the 1980s and 1990s too); but today, this vineyard site is delivering some of Aldo Conterno’s most impressive wines already at a very young age. I may be totally wrong, but I think the older age of the vines in Cicala is now playing definitely in its favour compared to the still very good Barolo Colonnello, for example (30-40 years old vines for the latter versus 40-50 years of age for the Cicala). Use of the Rupestris du Lot rootstock in Cicala, a rootstock with a completely different geo-morphologic angle really allows the roots to dig deep, and that is undoubtedly aprt of the secret here (there’s no use for SO4 here when after the first meter and a half you still have to go down). It is also noteworthy and no doubt a contributor to this wine’s success that at Conterno they have subdivided the Cicala into six micro-areas, just like the Romirasco (Colonnelo only two because of lesser soil and topographical diversity) allowing them to better handle the viticultural needs of the site. Importantly, they only made 6000 bottles of the Barolo Cicala instead of the 23,000 they could make, which tells you a little about the quest for quality at Aldo Conterno. Well done. Drinking window: 2034-2050. (5/2/25)"

97 points James Suckling: "A super-intense and perfumed Barolo, graceful and powerful, with aromas of Parma violets, citrus, leaves, lush cherries and yellow stone fruit. Full-bodied on the palate, it shows a velvety texture, ripe tannins despite the extraction, tight-knit acidity and graphite flavors. Long, lavish finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2027. (4/17/25)"