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Since 1878, Fontanafredda, located in the heart of the Langhe region, has been a true institution in Piedmont, a benchmark for authentically-styled Barolo and Barbera wines that deftly balance intense aromas and deep concentration of fruit with outstanding finesse and elegance. This style is fully in line with chief winemaker Danilo Drocco’s philosophy that “Barolo should reveal itself little by little, rather than all at once.”

The story of Fontanafredda is a noble one. It began in 1858, when Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy, purchased the estate (a former hunting preserve) in order to produce fine Barolo for his personal use. Today, Fontanafredda is the single largest contiguous estate in Piedmont with over 305 acres of land, including 210 acres of vineyards in the Serralunga, Barolo and Diano d’ Alba communes. Fontanafredda enjoys unrivalled access to many of Piedmont’s greatest vineyard sites. All estate vineyards are farmed without the use of chemicals, and the property is home to a bio-natural reserve, a safe and sustainable refuge for a wide array of local flora and fauna.

Production Area
All grapes for this single vineyard offering come from the “La Delizia” vineyard in the village of Serralunga d’Alba. Vines are planted at 1300 feet above sea level and the sedimentary marine soils from the Miocene-Helvetian era have a high content of greyish-white calcareous marl.

Grape Varieties
100% Nebbiolo

Vinification
Vines are guyot trained with plant density at 4,500 plants/ha. Following hand harvest in mid-October,grapes are de-stemmed and crushed. The crushed grapes are warmed to around 89-91°F, and the process of pumping the juice over the cap of skins begins immediately. This takes place very frequently over the first 3 days in order to extract an optimal amount of color and tannins. As the alcohol content increases, the extraction of too many tannins is prevented by dropping the temperature to around 77°F, and reducing the volume of liquid pumped over the skins. During this maceration lasting 20-30 days, delastages are performed to improve the extraction of the tannins, and at the same time to oxygenate the yeast so it will ferment in ideal conditions to provide cleaner, more elegant aromas. The alcoholic fermentation is followed immediately by the malolactic fermentation, which is encouraged by keeping the wine in temperature-controlled tanks at 68°F.

Color
Ruby-red with garnet highlights

Bouquet
Sumptuous bouquet, with aromas of ripe plums, tobacco, licorice, dried mushrooms,nutmeg and white pepper.

Taste
Dense, closely-woven tannins provide softness and balance.

Alcohol
14%

Serving Suggestions
It is excellent served with flavorful meat dishes and mature cheeses.