Bancroft Wines announces exclusive partnership with Franco Conterno

Bancroft Wines is proud to announce their appointment as exclusive agents in the UK for iconic Piedmont producer Franco Conterno.

Azienda Franco Conterno is located in the heart of the Langhe, in the hamlet of Bussia di Monforte d’Alba. The estate has 28 hectares of vineyards, 18 of which planted in the territory of Barolo,

in Monforte d’Alba (Bussia), Castiglione Falletto (Pugnane) and Novello (Panerole). The remaining 10 hectares are planted in Madonna di Como.

The estate’s oldest vines were planted by Pietro Conterno before being passed on to his son Giacomo and later to his nephew Franco, who took over in 1996. Today the winery run by Franco, his wife Vilma and their two sons Andrea and Daniele, together with his wife Emina. The family continues to honour the legacy of Pietro by producing authentic, world-class wines that reflect the exceptional area microclimate and terroir.

Franco Conterno is dedicated to the cultivation of Lampia and Michet Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Merlot, Freisa and Chardonnay. Their labels bear the names of the most prestigious vineyards: Bussia and Panerole. Viticulture and winemaking strikes the perfect balance between tradition and modernity. Vineyard work eschews the use of chemicals and great care is taken to ensure the healthiest-possible grapes; each hectare requires 630 hours of manual work per year. In the cellars modern technology, meticulous analysis and judicious ageing in oak and bottle ensures the consistent high quality the estate is known for.

Bancroft Wines’ CEO Jon Worsley comments:

“The Conterno family has been producing wines of extreme quality, elegance and prestige in Piedmont for several generations, and their work has shaped our very notion of what Piedmontese wines should be. The endless care they apply to their vineyards and cellars, their emphasis on sustainability and their commitment to running a true family business reflect Bancroft’s own values. We look forward to playing a part in promoting the Conterno legacy in the UK and forming a long-term partnership”

Franco Conterno, Azienda Franco Conterno, comments:

“It is an honour for our company to enter the UK market with Bancroft Wines: we hope to establish a long working relationship with them and to pass on to all team members the passion and love for our wine and our land, which has guided us for generations”

Bancroft Wines at SITT Spring Tastings 2017

We sent teams to both SITT Spring events, in Manchester on Monday 27th February and London on Wednesday 1st March, and had a marvelous time showcasing our selected wines to visitors, both familiar and new. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to taste with us - we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

Some members of the Bancroft team at SITT London

Below is a list of all of the bottles that made an appearance on our table at both events, including some new listings:

Sparkling

Champagne Gratiot-Pillière Tradition Brut NV

Lambrusco di Modena, Cantina della Volta 2009

White

Grillo, Il Folle 2015

Hartenberg Riesling 2014

Cheninsolite, Alex Cady 2014

Sin Palabras Albariño, Adegas Castro Brey 2015

Garnatxa Blanca, Herència Altés

Sa Fita, Es Fangar 2015

Ribolla, Marjan Simčič 2015

Ataraxia Chardonnay 2015

Red

Saumur Champigny Tuffe, Chateau du Hureau 2012

Elena Walch Pinot Nero 2015

Garnatxa Negra, Herència Altés 2015

Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, Hartenberg 2013

Cotes-du-Rhone Reserve Rouge, Domaine de Grand Veneur 2015

The tempting line-up

News from Julia Walch, daughter and next generation at Elena Walch, Alto Adige.

Julia Walch, daughter of Elena Walch (pictured left and right respectively) gives us a little news on how this year's harvest is going and other developements at the winery...

"We have built a new underground fermentation cellar, as well as a new cellar for storing and aging our Riserva and Single Vineyard wines. Very recently we had the inauguration of it with our Italian salesforce and Italian media. The purpose of this investment is to further improve the quality of our red Riservas. In fact the new facility allows us to ferment whole berries and/or whole bunches, in order to preserve more fruit and crystal-clear aromas as well as softer tannins. This mid-sized facility is certainly a state of the art fermenting cellar in all of Italy.

The brand new state of the art fermentation cellar

Gambero Rosso 2016: as you might have heard, again this year we were awarded with the 3 Bicchieri by Gambero Rosso. This year, it was the Lagrein Riserva “Castel Ringberg” 2011. Surely you can use this information in order to promote this very special wine.

Harvest 2015: I am happy to announce that we do have an extraordinary quality in our vats: Due to very favourable weather conditions throughout the growing season, the red grapes are perfect to make outstanding wines and the whites are also of great complexity combined with a perfect acidity which will probably make those wines memorable. We honestly believe that this could be one of the best vintages in decades"

We can't wait to taste....

Thanks for the update Julia :-)

Up Coast and Personal - Cool climate coastal wines for spring and summer

The moderating effect of cool coastal breezes can create unique microclimates perfect for cultivating top quality grapes - often in regions you might not suspect. Here at Bancroft we represent many producers found in regions where oceanic influences play a key part in striking that delicate balance between phenolic ripeness and acidity.

Lunch with Monteverro: Super & Tuscan

Last week we hosted Olympia from our premium Tuscan winery Monteverro for lunch at Italian restaurant Tinello to show off her range of just released 2011s. These are available exclusively through Bancroft Wines. Read on for the tasting notes, as written by our very own Kenny Stewart...

Her visit was written up in Decanter, and The Drinks Business.

"Monteverro is one of the most exciting young properties I have come across..." Antonio Galloni - Wine Advocate

"Showing a level of moxie so high it touches peaks of brilliance and insanity, he planted his winemaking flag here. Given the excellent results, I can only say 'chapeau'." Monica Larner - Wine Advocate

Monteverro is that very rare thing, a fully-formed state of the art winery, established as recently as 2003 and already running like the proverbial Swiss watch. It is set upon the mineral-laden soils of Maremma in the South West of coastal Tuscany, 5 kilometres from the sea.  It was founded by single-minded German businessman and wine obsessive Georg Weber whose aim is to produce something as profound as his own personal wine epiphany: Chateau Latour 1961.  Zeroing in on a spectacular terroir, with help from France's most renowned soil specialists Lydia and Claude Bourguignon (DRC, Dujac, Leflaive, Sélosse, Dagueneau, Chave) and utilising its foremost expert in vine training Michel Duclos, Georg set about the hard work in 2004. His very first commercial vintage 2008 drew gasps of admiration: Italy's finest - Antonio Galloni - was fulsome in his praise and was astonished by the immediate success of the winery. 

The Who, What and Where of our latest Trade Tasting: Franciacorta at the Italian Embassy

Our intern Rachael Leach reports:

What was the event?

The Franciacorta trade tasting hosted by the Italian Ambassador, Pasquale Q.Terracciano and Maurizio Zanella, President of Franciacorta held at the Italian Embassy in London. We took our Villa Crespia range of Franciacorta presented by Dr Giovanni Bresciani.

Beyond the Clouds proves its name in recent accolade from Wine Spectator

We're pleased to announce that our Beyond the Clouds 2011 from esteemed northern Italian producer Elena Walch has been awared 92 points in May's edition of The Wine Spectator. We recently served this bottle alongside another couple of our new Italian wines at a private event for Harrods - it was far and away the most popular wine of the evening.

In the article on the Trentino Alto Adige, Elena Walch's vineyard 'Kastelaz' was the accompanying cover image. A stunning piece of land that gives rich finesse to the wines produced.

Beyond the Clouds is Elena's flagship wine - made from her finest grapes. Although a blend, it is made predominantly from Chardonnay, aged in French oak barriques and undergoes partial malolactic fermentation. A beautiful wine that is intensely floral with fantastic richness and intensity.

Elena Walch: Alto Adige Beyond the Clouds 2011:
A vibrant white with citrusy acidity running through the flavors of crunchy white peach, grapefruit zest, blood orange and acacia blossom, revealing richer hints of honey, brioche and praline. 92 points.

Conti Zecca at the Oscars: two new wins at the Gambero Rosso Berebene Awards 2014

Producers Conti Zecca are proud to be the winners of two Oscars at the prestigious Gambero Rosso Berebene Awards 2014.

FIANO CONTI ZECCA 2012 wins NATIONAL OSCAR for QUALITY/PRICE 

CANTALUPI RISERVA 2010 wins OSCAR for QUALITY/PRICE

The prestigious Berebene (drink well) guide is published by Gambero Rosso, the leading authority on the food and wine sector in Italy and a key reference for international tasters and visitors to the country from around the world.

Berebene seeks to identify and award “wines with a strong personality, representative of their own territory and which have a good quality/price ratio”.

The NATIONAL OSCAR is assigned to excellent wines which have the best quality/price ratio. 

Winning the National Oscar for quality and price for their Fiano Conti Zecca 2012 was a proud moment not only for the winery, but for the whole of the region of Puglia. This is the first time that a white wine from the area has been awarded such a prize.

91+ Parker Points for De Stefani 1624

eRobertParker.com awards the 2008 De Stefani Stefen 1624 with 91+ points.







Here's what the review from eRobertParker.com said:

"The 2008 Stefen 1624 pays homage to the winery's founding De Stefani family (spelled "Stefen" in old Italian) that traces its lineage back to the year 1642. This is an exciting and impressive effort. Marzemio grapes are harvested at the end of October and subsequently air-dired to increase their sugar concentration. After fermentation, the wine is aged in barrique for 36 months. It opens to a bright garnet-ruby colour and pristine aromas of small berry, dried currant and cherry cola. Drink 2015-2022.

De Stefani's wines offer new tastes from an eccentric selection of mostly indigenous Italian grapes. Today. Alessandro De Stefani manages the estate and represents the fourth generation of this winemaking family to do so. If you are passionate about Italian native grapes like Raboso and Marzemino these are definitely worth seeking out."