Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The organic Conterno Fantino 2021 Barolo Castelletto Vigna Pressenda shows lots of richness and volume, with a bouquet that is exceptionally focused and sharp. This estate has expertly captured the purity of this balanced vintage with a long growing season, just like Nebbiolo likes it. Firm but restrained power is delivered across the width of the palate and the firm tannins. A metallic note of iron ore appears on the close to give the wine a salty aftertaste.
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James Suckling
A dark and slightly old-fashioned wine with aromas of bergamot, tar, earth, minerals, flowers and restrained blood oranges. It’s full-bodied and fierce on the palate, with firm, dusty yet ripe tannins, crisp acidity, mint and orange notes and a tight yet polished finish. Try after 2027.
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Vinous
The 2021 Barolo Castelletto Vigna Pressenda is an elegant, polished wine. Strong spice, mineral and citrus notes convey the essence of Castelletto, impressions that also come through in the wine's pointed, focused tannins. It offers terrific energy and tons of class. The style is very much one of tension, at least in the early going. Hints of rose petal, chalk and slate linger. All this needs is time in bottle.
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Wine Spectator
This red is solid, delivering cherry, raspberry, earth, iron, tar, eucalyptus and toasty oak aromas and flavors alongside its muscular structure. All of the components are here; this just needs time.
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.
