2018 Giacomo Fenocchio Barolo "Castellero", Piedmont, Italy
ABOUT THIS WINE
An emphasis on red fruits and flowers on the nose. Secondary flavors of anise and mushroom establish themselves with age. Marked by less abrasive tannins, the palate leads to a harmonious finish that is relaxed and lingering. Vines are 30 years of age, 4,000 bottles. Claudio owns just 0.8 hectares in the classic Castellero Cru. Claudio's Barolo maintains the Fenocchio style of concentration and complexity but this wine tends to be his most elegant. Practicing organic and fermented with native yeast, it spends 30 months in Slovenian Botti barrels, with about 4 years of total aging. Just a few hundred cases produced.
ABOUT THIS PRODUCER
Five generations of Fenocchios have been producing wine from their holdings in Monforte d’Alba since 1894. Most of the production was sold locally up until 1964, when the ambitious and energetic Giacomo Fenocchio took over the estate. In his quest to make the finest wines in all of Barolo, he purchased prime parcels in Cannubi and nearby Castellero, but his focus was always on what he liked to call the heart of the Barolo area, the Bussia.
In April of 1989, Giacomo passed away, leaving his young son Claudio to take over all farming and winemaking duties for the estate. As Claudio explains it, it was a challenging time for Barolo. Many producers were pushing a “new way” to make Barolo, and having great commercial success; but Claudio never strayed from the path of tradition. He continued producing his wines with the time honored techniques of the classic style: organic farming, with long fermentations on the skins and aging only in large Slavonian oak casks. Today Claudio’s wines exhibit a level of terroir clarity that is only found in the top echelon of producers. If you’re looking for the next star winemaker in Italy, look no further. In October of 2014, The New York Times rated Fenocchio in second position in a tasting of 2010 Barolos – coming behind only Elio Altare and ahead of Elio Grasso, Massolino, and Vietti. Claudio now manages 14 hectares of vineyards in Barolo, Castiglione Falletto and of course, the Bussia of Monforte. Total average annual production is about 8,000 cases.
With prices that frankly do not come close to approximating the astronomical quality of the wines, it’s painfully obvious that Fenocchio should be on the radar of Barolo lovers everywhere.