2020 Cascina Fontana Barolo, Piedmont, Italy

ABOUT THIS WINE

Cascina Fontana Barolo is produced from Nebbiolo grapes grown on steep hill vineyards in the heart of the Barolo wine zone, notably on our own three select cru vineyards, Villero (cru Villero) and Valletti (cru Mariondino) in the wine commune of Castiglione Falletto and Gallinotto (cru Giachini) in the commune of La Morra. Grapes from each site together contribute different characteristics to Cascina Fontana Barolo: complexity, structure, elegance, acidity, fruit, minerality. Firstly, it goes through a long maceration with skins and then ferments with native yeasts. Finally, it ages for a long time in Slavic oak and cement barrels. The wine is bottled without being filtered, clarified or adding sulphur.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Cascina Fontana is a small, sixth-generation estate rooted in the heart of Barolo. Mario Fontana continues his family's legacy with a steadfast commitment to traditional Langhe winemaking, using time-honored methods and organic practices across their holdings in Castiglione Falletto, La Morra, and Barolo.

Avoiding chemical inputs both in the vineyard and cellar, Mario allows each wine to reflect its vineyard origin and vintage character. 

Mario’s approach to winemaking is essentially rooted in his grandfather Saverio’s methods, even if the equipment used today is modern. Once the grapes arrive in the cantina, they are de-stemmed and lightly crushed to break the skin in order to allow the juice to run out. The crushed grapes are then pumped into stainless steel vats where fermentation begins spontaneously, as the natural yeast present on the skin of the grapes begins to feed on sugar.

The length of fermentation depends on the grape variety. Generally speaking, for wines that are destined to undergo more lengthy maturation, the fermentation is both longer and slower, which allows for a greater extract of tannin and other natural components that are necessary for ageing in both botte (large cask) and eventually bottle. Dolcetto, the grape variety that is always harvested earliest, undergoes a fermentation of just six to seven days and is ready to drink in the summer after the harvest. The fermentation of barbera grapes usually lasts from ten to twelve days. Nebbiolo for the production of Langhe Nebbiolo ferments for upwards of fifteen days, while fermentation of nebbiolo for the production of Barolo can sometimes last as long as forty days.