Winemaker Notes
Elegant and harmonious nose. Flavors of plum and mushroom, with hints of cherry skin. Full-bodied and dry with silky tannins and a fresh finish. FOOD PAIRINGS Roasted game and cheese.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of new leather, iris, wet earth and perfumed berry meld together with crushed herbs and spices. The full-bodied, elegant palate delivers juicy Marasca cherry, black raspberry, white pepper and a hint of tobacco, while firm acidity and taut, fine-grained tannins lend ageworthy support and finesse. Drink 2023–2036.
Cellar Selection -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Fontanabianca presents a rich and full-bodied expression of Nebbiolo here in this classic vintage. The 2016 Barbaresco is enhanced with black fruit, spice, leather and tar, all rolled into one harmonious wine. There is beautiful texture here, with balanced and silky intensity to the end.
-
James Suckling
Boysenberries, raspberry coulis, wild strawberries and tea leaves. Medium-bodied with underlying tannin bite and freshness of acidity. Drink now or hold.
-
Wine & Spirits
This wine is dark fruited and spicy, with meaty tannins that encase flavors of spiced plum and black cherry. It’s a rustic rendering of Barbaresco, suitable for steakhouse lists.
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.
A wine that most perfectly conveys the spirit and essence of its place, Barbaresco is true reflection of terroir. Its star grape, like that in the neighboring Barolo region, is Nebbiolo. Four townships within the Barbaresco zone can produce Barbaresco: the actual village of Barbaresco, as well as Neive, Treiso and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio.
Broadly speaking there are more similarities in the soils of Barbaresco and Barolo than there are differences. Barbaresco’s soils are approximately of the same two major soil types as Barolo: blue-grey marl of the Tortonion epoch, producing more fragile and aromatic characteristics, and Helvetian white yellow marl, which produces wines with more structure and tannins.
Nebbiolo ripens earlier in Barbaresco than in Barolo, primarily due to the vineyards’ proximity to the Tanaro River and lower elevations. While the wines here are still powerful, Barbaresco expresses a more feminine side of Nebbiolo, often with softer tannins, delicate fruit and an elegant perfume. Typical in a well-made Barbaresco are expressions of rose petal, cherry, strawberry, violets, smoke and spice. These wines need a few years before they reach their peak, the best of which need over a decade or longer. Bottle aging adds more savory characteristics, such as earth, iron and dried fruit.