Conti Boca Il Rosso delle Donne Boca 2019

Up in far northern Piemonte, in the quaint DOC of Boca, three passionate sisters run Castello Conti as the second generation following in the footsteps of their father, Ermanno Conti. With organic farming practices, deep respect for the land, and a curiosity to continue experimenting with new cuvées, this small estate is pouring up some of the most interesting and masterful Piemontese wines we’ve ever encountered. Their 2019 flagship red radiates elegance, energy, and nuance in a way that will endlessly enchant your senses.

Sisters Elena, Anna, and Paola Conti tend the family’s singular hectare in the Boca appellation of Piemonte, continuing their father’s pursuit of captivating, terroir-dripping wines using the most intentional and thoughtful of farming and vinification practices. The soils here are a mix of porphyry (volcanic), clay, limestone, and sand – similar to its neighboring appellation just 10 kilometers to the southwest, Gattinara, but producing more elegant, less robust wines. Nebbiolo is the mainstay farmed here, with local grapes Vespolina and Uva Rara close behind as blending components. The DOC of Boca requires a minimum of three years of aging prior to release – a good thing for Castello Conti, whose wines are well known to age exceptionally for decades upon decades. 

As for their 2019 ll Rosso delle Donne, it is composed of 75% Nebbiolo, 20% Vespolina, and 5% Uva Rara. Though still in its relative youth, it drinks magnificently now, with endless layers of complexity and freshness to unfold in each sip. The light red wine, tinged with glimmers of orange hues, sings with impressive layers of rustic earth, dried cherries, rose petals, and blood orange, followed closely by crushed granite, tobacco, leather, star anise, spearmint, and a smidge of tar. Electric acidity and racy tannins bring out an energy that will absolutely thrill your palate as you take each additional sip.

This is a personality-packed wine with endless ageability and impeccable artisanship. Nowhere else has it for under $55… except us, slinging one of Piemonte’s coolest reds for UNDER $40! I really hope you’ll get at least a few (you already know I did).