Nervi-Conterno’s Gattinara 2016 is a Nebbiolo-based red from northern Piedmont’s Gattinara appellation, made at one of the zone’s historic addresses. The Nervi estate dates to 1906 and is widely regarded as a reference point in Gattinara; in 2018 it was acquired by Roberto Conterno of Giacomo Conterno, bringing added attention to traditional methods and longer, more patient élevage. The 2016 spends a minimum of three years in large oak, a regime that tends to emphasize structure and aromatics over overt sweetness.

Critical response to the 2016 is notably strong. Vinous calls the wine “superb,” citing “brilliant aromatic presence and tremendous purity of fruit,” and highlights notes that include sweet red cherry, mint, juniper berry, and wild flowers, while also noting that it “needs time.” That 94-point assessment stands as an excellent review and aligns with the wine’s reputation as a serious, ageworthy expression of Nebbiolo from Gattinara’s mineral-rich, volcanic soils.

Wine Advocate is similarly positive at 93 points, describing the 2016 as “a more important wine compared to the 2015,” with “more depth and substance in the mouth and more length.” The same source notes the wine was bottled in September and released in October after the vintage, consistent with the estate’s generally measured pace.

Wine Spectator also awarded 93 points, characterizing the wine as “moderately rich and round,” with “cherry, white pepper, earth and light underbrush flavors.” The magazine finds it “balanced” and says it “lingers with a tangy hint of peppery greens,” recommending it “Best from 2022 through 2035.” Production is listed at 4,166 cases.

Taken together, the reviews point to a classically built Gattinara: aromatic, detailed, and structured, with enough fruit purity to support extended cellar time.