Winemaker Notes
Sori` Ginestra is Conterno Fantino’s flagship wine. The vineyard is located in the Ginestra district on one of the most important hills in Monforte, if not Barolo itself. It is the thoroughbred of Barolos, and fully reflects its terroir. Located 340 meters (1,115 feet) above sea level, it absolutely benefits from southern exposure, which affords the vines warm sunlight from morning to night. The soil is not sandy, but a bit more compact. The wines from this vineyard are bigger, with much more body, structure, and tannins. The older part of this vineyard was planted in 1971, giving the wine its unique elegance and complexity.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
An important and cellar-worthy wine, the Conterno Fantino 2017 Barolo Ginestra Vigna Sorì Ginestra shows ripe fruit and wild berry, with background tones of grill herb, licorice and pressed blue flowers. There are hints of eucalyptus and white pepper that add extra lift and intensity to the bouquet. This is an excellent wine that is very different from the epic 2016 vintage, which scored an extraordinary and well-deserved 98 points; this vintage does not reach that stratospheric level of complexity or depth. When it is ready to open, note that it carries an alcohol content of 15%, so an elaborate truffle meal is probably in order.
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Wine Spectator
There is breadth and a beam of cherry fruit in this solidly-built red. Earth, tar, tobacco and iron accents linger beneath the fruit, while chalky tannins line the finish.
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.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine 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 wine, 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 Barolo wine 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 soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.