Barolo King Boosts Potential: 2018 Conterno Nervi Vigna Molsino For Investment

”It’s a remarkable effort for the first year in which Molsino will soon be the Monfortino of Alto Piemonte”

– Antonio Galloni, Vinous

The above quote refers to the 2018 Conterno Nervi Gattinara Vigna Molsino, available for investment in this investment tip. And the first name of this wine boosts the investment potential, as this is the first vintage released under the full ownership of the undisputed king of Barolo: Roberto Conterno.

The fact that 2018 Vigna Molsino gets 98+ points from Vinous only emphasises the potential. Read much more about the new ownership, scores and price trends in this article and learn more about the investment potential.

A King Expands His Territory

When it comes to Italy and Piedmont, there is hardly a more honorable name in the world of wine than Roberto Conterno - son of Giovanni - and grandson of Giacomo Conterno, who founded the house of Conterno, which Roberto now ambitiously runs. Conterno is behind the Monfortino, Italy's most expensive and exclusive wine.

Since Roberto took over Conterno, he has worked tirelessly to preserve and build on what his father and grandfather had built. Since taking over, he has expanded the property and bought up in Serralunga, including d'Alba Cerretta and Arione - choosing only the terroirs that can match the Franca family's quality, where the Monfortino comes from.

Roberto chooses his expansions with care, and he selects the Nebbiolo grape as the main ingredient. So when his close friend Erling Astrup recruited the leading Gattinara producer Nervi in 2011 and asked him for advice, Conterno said that it is "wholly impossible not to make great wine here" - and Conterno followed the house closely in the coming years, so when Erling Astrup asked Roberto if he would buy 90% of Nervi in early 2018, he did not hesitate to say yes.

Nervi - The Oldest Winery in Gattinara

Nervi's history dates back to 1679, when the family began to own many of the vineyards they are known for today. However, it was not until 1906 that Italo Nervi founded the winery consisting of 28.5 hectares of vineyards. This makes Nervi the oldest wine producer in Piedmont's Gattinara area.

Italo Nervi decided that the family should transform the fruit from their vineyards into wine themselves, and so the property's almost 29 hectares of vineyards became the supplier of the house wines - including two wines from plots in the area's best and most famous vineyards, Molsino and Valferana. The Nervi family ran the property and made it and the area famous until 1991, when steel producer Germano Bocciolone took over, and in 2011 he sold it to a group of wealthy Norwegian investors... You know the rest of the story.

Modernisation: Conterno Believes In Nervi

The producer of the world's best and most expensive Barolo - and the creator of one of Italy's most prestigious and exclusive wines - would hardly take over another producer if there was no belief in potential. Or if there was no belief that the brand and product would support the Conterno brand.

When Roberto took over Nervi, a renovation of the house began - with the goal of creating a state-of-the-art winery where architecture, technology, and the know-how of the Conterno house came together. This vision has resulted in a spectacular winery with suspended tasting rooms attached to the roof structure - whose glass walls allow 360-degree views. New storage rooms have been established and in the old cellar, the former shop and offices have been transformed into Cucine Nervi - the new restaurant, led by local chef Alberto Quadrio.

Here, contemporary meets traditional, and there is no doubt that Roberto Conterno has poured his heart and soul into Nervi. He has invested heavily: He believes in Nervi.

Scores Cement the Quality of Nervi Vigna Molsino

Nervi is not yet a big name on the wine scene, and the major critics have not systematically awarded scores. However, both Vinous and Wine Advocate have consistently awarded scores from the 2013-2018 vintages, which you can see below. The consensus is that quality has increased. It is also interesting to note that Roberto Conterno has been on the sidelines since 2011, only to take over completely in 2018...

Vinous awards 98+ points to the 2018 Nervi Gattinara Molsino, while Wine Advocate lands at 96 points - and these scores represent the highest scores the two critics have ever given a Nervi Gattinara Vigna Molsino.

The vineyard measures 12 hectares, of which only 7-8 hectares are planted with vines. From these, between 1,300 and 1,500 cases are produced per vintage, resulting in an annual small production of between 15,600 and 18,000 bottles.

News at RareWine Invest

Nervi is still so new to RareWine Invest that we do not have historical data to present - and the big reason why our spotlight stopped on Nervi is of course Roberto Conterno's takeover of the house. Looking at the data available at Wine-searcher.com, the average asking price of 2016 Nervi Vigna Molsino has increased by 47% since its release in early 2020. The average asking price of the 2018 vintage, according to wine-searcher.com, has increased 35% since its release in March 2022 - and it is rated better than the 2016 Nervi Vigna Molsino.

And even though the above trends are based on the average asking price, it says a lot about the price trend, which is clearly upwards for both vintages. Incidentally, neither a 2015 nor a 2017 Vigna Molsino has been released.

Conterno Nervi: Affordable Luxury In A Time Of Crisis

During the 2001 recession, Leonard Lauder (heir to Estée Lauder) made an interesting discovery. He discovered a correlation between falling sales of expensive luxury products and rising sales of luxury cosmetics. This mechanism has since been named the "lipstick index" and is now a respected indicator that consumers want to indulge in luxury, even when times are tough. So when they can no longer afford the best, they seek quality for less money - so-called affordable luxury.

However, 20% of consumers will stay in the expensive luxury category, while 80% of consumers seek affordable luxury.

In the world of wine, the ultimate luxury will certainly be the best wines from Burgundy, while Italy's best wines still offer very high quality for much less money. With a 2018 Conterno Nervi Vigna Molsino, for example, the consumer gets a 98-point wine for only €110.

Even in times of geopolitical and economic turbulence, consumers are looking for luxury. You can read much more about how Italian wine fits into this context in our analysis: Investing in Italian wine: What does the future hold?

RareWine Invest's Opinion

Because Nervi was given the prefix Conterno, it also immediately attracted far more attention than before. Because when a cult house like Conterno invests so heavily in a producer, the potential takes on a whole new dimension.

And while a name in itself can be the subject of extreme future hype, this 2018 Conterno Nervi Vigna Molsino is nevertheless flanked by great scores that place it as the best ever. With 98+ Vinous points, it has also cemented its place among the world's best wines. And with a production of only a maximum of 18,000 bottles, there is not enough for everyone.

So here we have a wine of towering quality with an attractive pricing that will attract consumers looking for affordable luxury even in times of crisis. When Roberto Conterno believes in Nervi, so do we. And the price trend is upwards.