Le Volte dell'Ornellaia is the convivial entry red of the Bolgheri estate, a Toscana IGT blend of Merlot, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Bright cherry and wild berry meet rose and a menthol lift, over fresh, supple tannins.
Barolo's benchmark, made only in years the Conterno family thinks deserve it, so there is no 1989, 2003 or 2007. Nebbiolo from the Cascina Francia hill in Serralunga. The 2019 spent four and a half years in big old casks. Firm, dry and savoury.
Best price
£803.00
2019 · 75cl · checked 13 Oct · Delivery usually £16.90, free over £129
Vino.comBest price2019 · 75cl · checked 13 Oct · Delivery usually £16.90, free over £129Code WINE6R8T: £17 off your first wine order with £180 minimum spend, until 13 Jan 2028
Read from the retailer's page once a day. Confidence is low, so treat it as a guide and confirm at the retailer.
No current retailer offer matches that combination.
Unavailable (9)
XtraWineBest price2019 · 75cl · checked 12 Oct · Delivery charge shown at checkout
Out of stock
£658.00£877.33/L
Out of stock
Corney & BarrowBest price2006 · Case of 6 · £5,065.78 for the case · checked 1 Oct · Delivery £12.50, free from £150
Out of stock
£844.30a bottle · £1,125.73/L
Out of stock
Hedonism WinesBest price1955 · 75cl · checked 13 Oct · Delivery from £8.95, free over £250
Out of stock
£1,290.00£1,720.00/L
Out of stock
Hedonism WinesBest price1997 · 75cl · checked 13 Oct · Delivery from £8.95, free over £250
Out of stock
£1,400.00£1,866.67/L
Out of stock
XtraWineBest price2019 · Magnum 150cl · checked 12 Oct · Delivery charge shown at checkout
Out of stock
£1,495.00£996.67/L
Out of stock
Vino.comBest price2019 · Magnum 150cl · checked 13 Oct · Delivery usually £16.90, free over £129Code WINE6R8T: £17 off your first wine order with £180 minimum spend, until 13 Jan 2028
Out of stock
£1,598.00£1,065.33/L
Out of stock
Hedonism WinesBest price1979 · 75cl · checked 13 Oct · Delivery from £8.95, free over £250
Out of stock
£1,810.00£2,413.33/L
Out of stock
Hedonism WinesBest price1997 · Magnum 150cl · checked 13 Oct · Delivery from £8.95, free over £250
Out of stock
£2,500.00£1,666.67/L
Out of stock
XtraWineBest price2019 · Double magnum 300cl · checked 11 Oct · Delivery charge shown at checkout
Out of stock
£3,258.00£1,086.00/L
Out of stock
Stock status is read from each retailer’s page once a day and may lag. Case and magnum listings show a per-bottle or per-litre equivalent and sit outside the best-price figure.
Tasting Notes
What Monfortino tastes like
Dried rose, tar and leather, then a firm dry grip. The earthy side is the one that stays with you. This is a savoury red, not a fruity one.
Tasted by
ItalianWines editorial
Tasted on
4 September 2026
Source
Drinker consensus · confidence Medium
Typical of Nebbiolo
BodyLight / Full
TanninsSmooth / Grippy
SweetnessDry / Sweet
AciditySoft / Crisp
Nose
Dried rose and violet come first, the scent Barolo drinkers wait for. Behind them sit leather, tar and woodsmoke, the earthy side that marks this wine. Older bottles add dried cherry and orange peel.
Rose petal
Violet
Cherry
Mint
Tobacco
Tar
Leather
Liquorice
Palate
The tannin is firm and dusty rather than soft, and it grips hard. The 2019 is muscular but ripe, with graphite and dried cherry. Four and a half years in big old casks round off the shape without leaving any oak flavour.
Finish
Long, dry and savoury, with liquorice and a cool stony edge. The 2019 is still closed and needs air, so open young bottles early.
Overall
Made only in years the Conterno family judges worthy, so there is no 1989, no 2003 and no 2007. Drinkers like it, year after year.
Drink nowBest by 2040
Live UK pricing
Which Monfortino to buy
Fifteen vintages sit on this page, from a 1955 to the 2019. The 2019 is the current release and the first since 2015. Older bottles cost more because the estate sold them long ago, so merchants buy them back from private cellars.
Best price · 75 cl£803.00at Vino.com
Price spread
£764.44 - £4,970.00 Across 3 UK retailers tracked
Per-litre (75 cl basis)£1,070.67Per-litre price for the lowest current offer
Last checked13 Oct 2026Refreshed once every 24 hours
Wine fit score
Who this bottle is for
This is a collector's Barolo, not a Tuesday red. It is dry, very firm and slow to open up, and the cheapest bottle in stock here is £817. Buy it for a landmark meal, or to put away.
Best for cellar9.6/10
Built for the long haul. Barolo Riserva cannot be sold until it is 62 months old. The 2019 Monfortino went on sale six years after picking, four and a half of them spent in big old casks. Its drinking window runs out to 2055.
Best for an occasion9.6/10
About as big an occasion wine as Italy makes. Robert Parker scored the 2019 a perfect 100, and a bottle makes a landmark birthday or anniversary present.
Best with food8.8/10
High tannin and high acidity make this a food wine first. It wants fat and salt on the plate, and it fights anything spicy or sweet.
Best value3.5/10
You pay near the top of the Barolo market. The cheapest bottle in stock here is £817, against £40 to £80 for a good everyday Barolo. Mature vintages run past £1,800. The quality is real, the price is not gentle.
Best intro to this style2.2/10
A hard first Barolo. It is dry, very firm and closed when young, and the price leaves no room for a mistake. Start with a village Barolo or a Langhe Nebbiolo.
Best everyday bottle0.3/10
Not an everyday bottle by any measure. The cheapest bottle in stock here is £817, and the wine wants a big meal and a decanter.
Monfortino only appears in years the family rates. There is no 1989, no 2003 and no 2007. Roberto Conterno passed on 2016, 2017 and 2018 as well, which is why the 2019 followed the 2015.
2019Current release
Best price
£803.00
Retailers
1 in stock
ABV
14.5%
Window
Drink now
through 2055
A cool spring and cold September nights in 2019 locked in the acidity, and picking ran through a dry, foggy October. This is the first Monfortino since 2015 and the first with a big share of Arione fruit, 27% of the blend. Robert Parker scored it a perfect 100.
2015Previous release
Best price
£839.98a bottle, by the case of 3
Retailers
2 in stock
Window
Drink now
through 2040
Snow in winter and a warm dry summer ripened 2015 about ten days early. Roberto Conterno rated it above 2016 and made no Monfortino the following year. Merchants list it as drinking from now to about 2040.
2014Previous release
Best price
£874.28a bottle, by the case of 3
Retailers
2 in stock
ABV
14.5%
Window
Drink now
through 2040
A wet summer and scattered hail made 2014 patchy across Barolo, though September came good. Expect a lighter, more perfumed Monfortino than the 2013. Italian charts rate it three stars out of five.
2013Previous release
Best price
£764.44a bottle, by the case of 3
Retailers
1 in stock
ABV
14.5%
Window
Drink now
through 2040
2013 started late and picking ran about a fortnight behind the ten-year average. Warm bright autumn days and cool nights built a firm, long-lived wine. Roberto Conterno still points to its tension and energy.
2013Previous release
Best price
£764.44a bottle, by the case of 3
Retailers
1 in stock
ABV
14.5%
Window
Drink now
through 2040
2013 started late and picking ran about a fortnight behind the ten-year average. Warm bright autumn days and cool nights built a firm, long-lived wine. Roberto Conterno still points to its tension and energy.
2014Previous release
Best price
£874.28a bottle, by the case of 3
Retailers
2 in stock
ABV
14.5%
Window
Drink now
through 2040
A wet summer and scattered hail made 2014 patchy across Barolo, though September came good. Expect a lighter, more perfumed Monfortino than the 2013. Italian charts rate it three stars out of five.
2015Previous release
Best price
£839.98a bottle, by the case of 3
Retailers
2 in stock
Window
Drink now
through 2040
Snow in winter and a warm dry summer ripened 2015 about ten days early. Roberto Conterno rated it above 2016 and made no Monfortino the following year. Merchants list it as drinking from now to about 2040.
2019Current release
Best price
£803.00
Retailers
1 in stock
ABV
14.5%
Window
Drink now
through 2055
A cool spring and cold September nights in 2019 locked in the acidity, and picking ran through a dry, foggy October. This is the first Monfortino since 2015 and the first with a big share of Arione fruit, 27% of the blend. Robert Parker scored it a perfect 100.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
The disciplinare, the place, the label
Who makes it and where
Giacomo Conterno bottles in Monforte d'Alba, and the fruit grows in Serralunga d'Alba. The family bought the Cascina Francia hill in 1974 and added the neighbouring Arione in 2015. The 2019 blend is 27% Arione.
01
DOC, DOCG, IGT: what the badges mean
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Barolo is in the DOCG tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
02
The denomination rules, in detail
Allowed grapes. 1 varieties listed in the disciplinare
Yield ceiling. 8.0 tonnes per hectare
Minimum ABV. 13.0% vol
Minimum ageing. 38 months total (of which 18 in oak)
What sits behind the price of Barolo Riserva DOCG Monfortino Giacomo Conterno
Tracked from
£803.00
Direction
Mostly cost up
Drivers
5 up / 1 down
Main factor
Only made in years the family judges worthy
01
Only made in years the family judges worthy
Cost up
Roberto Conterno skipped 2016, 2017 and 2018 outright, so the 2019 was the first Monfortino in four years. Whole vintages never reach the market, which keeps buyers ahead of supply.
02
Six years from picking to sale
Cost up
The 2019 was picked in autumn 2019, bottled in March 2024 after about four and a half years in big old casks, and only sold from October 2025. Six years of holding the wine before a penny comes back lands in the price.
03
Serralunga vineyard land, owned since 1974
Cost up
The family bought the Cascina Francia hill in 1974 and added Arione in 2015. Barolo vineyards are the dearest farmland in Italy. The latest official survey puts top plots at 2.3 million euros for a patch the size of one and a half football pitches. The 2019 blend is 27% Arione.
04
Perfect scores from the biggest critics
Cost up
Robert Parker scored the 2019 a perfect 100, a second leading critic matched it, and a third gave it 99. A top score on a wine this scarce moves the price the week it lands.
05
UK duty and VAT on an expensive bottle
Cost up
Duty is £3.33 on a 75cl bottle at 14.5% under the February 2026 rates, which is small change here. VAT at 20% is not: on the £817 bottle it is about £136.
06
Big bottles cost no more than the wine inside
Cost down
The three-litre 2019 here is £3,258, which is £1,086 a litre. The single bottle at £817 works out at £1,089 a litre. Buying the big format costs you nothing extra.
01
Only made in years the family judges worthy
Cost up
Roberto Conterno skipped 2016, 2017 and 2018 outright, so the 2019 was the first Monfortino in four years. Whole vintages never reach the market, which keeps buyers ahead of supply.
02
Six years from picking to sale
Cost up
The 2019 was picked in autumn 2019, bottled in March 2024 after about four and a half years in big old casks, and only sold from October 2025. Six years of holding the wine before a penny comes back lands in the price.
03
Serralunga vineyard land, owned since 1974
Cost up
The family bought the Cascina Francia hill in 1974 and added Arione in 2015. Barolo vineyards are the dearest farmland in Italy. The latest official survey puts top plots at 2.3 million euros for a patch the size of one and a half football pitches. The 2019 blend is 27% Arione.
04
Perfect scores from the biggest critics
Cost up
Robert Parker scored the 2019 a perfect 100, a second leading critic matched it, and a third gave it 99. A top score on a wine this scarce moves the price the week it lands.
05
UK duty and VAT on an expensive bottle
Cost up
Duty is £3.33 on a 75cl bottle at 14.5% under the February 2026 rates, which is small change here. VAT at 20% is not: on the £817 bottle it is about £136.
06
Big bottles cost no more than the wine inside
Cost down
The three-litre 2019 here is £3,258, which is £1,086 a litre. The single bottle at £817 works out at £1,089 a litre. Buying the big format costs you nothing extra.
Food Pairing
What to eat with it
Firm tannin wants fat and salt on the plate. Piedmont's own answer is brasato al Barolo, beef braised for hours in the same wine. Beef, lamb, pasta and game are the four best matches.
Tannin softeningStrong match
Slow-braised beef in red wine
The fat and gelatine in a long braise coat your tongue and take the edge off the tannin, so this firm dry red tastes rounder. Monfortino has the grip to survive three hours in the pot. Piedmont invented the match: brasato al Barolo is beef cooked in the same wine.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Bollito dei Pastori · Lamb shank · More pairings →
Fat cuttingStrong match
Grilled and roast red meat
Charred fat and salt blunt tannin on contact and let the fruit show. A big Nebbiolo like this Barolo needs that fat, or it tastes stern on its own. Ask for the meat rare: dry, well-done meat leaves nothing for the tannin to soften against.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Rack of lamb · Sunday Roast Beef · Lamb chops · More pairings →
Aromatic bridgeStrong match
White truffle over fresh pasta
Truffle and mature Nebbiolo share the same earthy, woodsy smell, so each one makes the other louder. The dried rose and tar in this dry savoury red sit under the truffle instead of fighting it. Tajarin, the thin egg pasta of the Langhe, is the local plate.
Try with: Tajarin al Tartufo · Truffle risotto · Agnolotti del Plin · Tagliatelle al tartufo di Acqualagna · More pairings →
Body matchingStrong match
Roast game and venison
Game is lean and strongly flavoured, so a light red disappears under it. This Barolo is full-bodied at around 14.5%, with enough tannin and acidity to hold its ground. Game is among the four best matches for the wine.
Nebbiolo keeps sharp acidity even at sixty years old, and that acidity stops a buttery risotto tasting heavy. Salt in an aged cheese does the same job from the other side. Keep the risotto plain: mushroom or saffron, not tomato.
Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Risotto alla Milanese · Gorgonzola, pear, and walnut risotto · Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · More pairings →
AvoidClash
Chilli heat and sweet glazes
Chilli heat makes the firm tannin taste harsh and bitter, and this Barolo is very dry, so the burn only sharpens. Sugar in a sticky glaze works the other way: it strips the fruit and leaves the tannin bare. Hot curries and barbecue sauce both wreck it.
The 2019 drinks from 2026 to 2055. The older bottles here are already mature: the 2006 should hold to about 2038 and the 2008 to about 2032. Corney and Barrow's 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2014 bottles here come in their original wooden cases. So do the 2005 and 2006 magnums and the 2015 case of three. The 2004 case of six is cardboard.
Drinking window
2026 → 2055
Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
Decanting
1 hour
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Serving temperature
16-18°C
Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.
Cellar potential
High
Built for the long haul. Barolo Riserva cannot be sold until it is 62 months old. The 2019 Monfortino went on sale six years after picking, four and a half of them spent in big old casks. Its drinking window runs out to 2055.
Buy now or wait?
Buy now
£803.00 for a 75cl bottle of the 2019, at Vino.com, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.
Sources & trust
Sources for this bottle
Prices & stock
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day.
Last refresh: 13 Oct 2026, 02:19 BST.
We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · High
Tasting notes
Drawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · Medium
Appellation rules & ageing
From the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · High
Why it costs what it costs
Our reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · Medium
Drink window & cellar potential
Style guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Because it is rare and slow. The estate makes it only in years it rates, and skipped 2016, 2017 and 2018 altogether. The 2019 spent four and a half years in big old casks and went on sale six years after picking. Robert Parker scored it a perfect 100, which pushes demand higher still.
Dried rose, tar and leather, with a firm dry grip and a long savoury finish. It is a savoury red rather than a fruity one. That earthy, leathery side is the part that stays with you.
There is no 1989, no 2003 and no 2007. Roberto Conterno also passed on 2016, 2017 and 2018, so the 2019 was the first release after the 2015. He judges each year on its own and bottles Monfortino only when it earns the name.
Decades. The 2019 drinks from 2026 to 2055, and the 2013 and 2014 to about 2040. The 1955 and the 1979 on this page are already fully mature, so open those rather than keep them.
Slow-braised beef is the classic match. Piedmont's own dish is brasato al Barolo, beef cooked for hours in the same wine. White truffle over tajarin pasta, aged hard cheese and roast game all work well. Keep it away from chilli heat and sweet glazes.
It was, for nearly forty years. From 1978 to 2014 every bottle came from the Cascina Francia hill in Serralunga d'Alba, which the family bought in 1974. Since 2015 fruit from the neighbouring Arione vineyard joins the blend, and the 2019 is 27% Arione.
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How retailer prices are sourced.
Prices and stock are read from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Outbound buy links carry rel="nofollow sponsored noopener". The list is sorted by price; we do not accept payment for placement.
What we will never do.
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DOCG
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