Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesOf these new Baroli from Conterno Fantino, the 2016 Barolo Ginestra Vigna Sorì Ginestra shows the most underlying power, linearity and determination. While the other wines are a little softer and richer, especially on the mid-palate, this wine is all muscle and brawn. With its 15% alcohol content, its abundant bouquet and tight structural presentation, you should count on an extra long drinking window. Wait to pull the cork after the 10-year mark. At this young stage, the bouquet presents layered aromas of red fruit, tar, spice, ferrous earth and candied orange peel. There are hints of mint, eucalyptus and campfire ash. All said and done, this is a 11,700-bottle release of majesty and beauty that will make a proud and important protagonist of any collector's cellar.
Very ripe strawberries with hints of dried flowers and incense on the nose. Some lilacs, too. A full-bodied Barolo, yet it’s tight and very well formed with precision and texture. Beautiful combination of ripe fruit and tannins. Drink after 2022.
This intense, structured red shows black cherry, black currant, cut grass and menthol flavors allied to a sleek profile. Stays fruity while giving way to the youthful austerity of the vintage. The fine length and ripe fruit essence signal potential. Best from 2023 through 2045.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soils types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
