From: Piedmont, Italy
Varietal: Nebbiolo

Taste: A famously fickle variety, whose perfect balance of acidity and ripeness is hard to achieve, Nebbiolo is also known to be one of the world’s most tannic grapes, making it especially difficult to coax into a charming and exuberant young wine. Alessandro and Gian Natale have done just this, preserving Nebbiolo’s bright acidity and beautiful aromas of rose petals and crushed cherries, but delivering them through an approachable red that would pair beautifully with a mushroom or braised-pork polenta.
—Tom Wolf

Pairing: This would be wonderful with fresh charcuterie or mature cheeses, pasta with ragu or a vegetarian sauce, and red meat dishes, like hamburgers or beef carpaccio. I’d also enjoy it with roasted root veggies. Some specific ideas for pairing include serving this with the mushroom or braised-pork polenta, as noted above, crispy mushroom focaccia, smoky eggplant croquettes, grilled Hasselback kielbasa, pork Rillettes, satay, and even ham and cheese sliders. 

About. Many thanks to the fine folks at KLWM for the following information. Two brothers, Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino, run this family estate in Monforte d’Alba. Alessandro managed the vineyards and served as the enologist at Cantina Bartolo Mascarello for 20 years, from 1978 to 1997. Since 1998, he has dedicated himself to running his family estate alongside his brother full-time.

The brothers farm eight hectares in the heart of the historic Bussia cru north of Monforte, one of Barolo’s most famous areas for producing wines of great longevity and finesse. The Fantino holdings are concentrated exclusively in the “Dardi” section of Bussia, a hillside with perfect southern and southeastern exposure in the geographic center of Bussia. This gives them their “Cascina Dardi” brand name on the label of their Barbera and Baroli (for those already familiar with these wines, they were formerly labeled as Vigna dei Dardi, before the brothers registered the Cascina Dardi trademark).

Barolos from Bussia tend to have deep color and rich fruit and while they don’t lack the classic tannic structure of Nebbiolo from this part of the world, they are not nearly as hard as the Barolos from the southside of Monforte or from Serralunga. This fact does not preclude the Fantino Baroli from aging but makes them delightfully approachable relatively young. The Fantinos are also blessed with some of the oldest vines in the entire Barolo zone, thanks to the fastidious care given to them by Alessandro and Gian Natale. Planted in 1946 and 1947 and pruned in an old style that is very labor intensive, they produce grapes that would be the envy of any Barolista.

The Fantino brothers produce an amazing Barbera d’Alba from these ancient vines in Dardi, and a “Rosso dei Dardi” from younger vine Nebbiolo planted on a west-facing slope. The Barbera is loaded with lush fruit and smooth, silky texture, and a ravishing perfume. The Rosso is playful, fruit-driven, fresh, and aromatic. They are also specialists with several traditional Piemontese wines that are mostly disappearing: Nebbiolo Passito and Barolo Chinato.

This wine. Viticulture / Vinification
• Hand-harvested and sorted at the winery after harvest
• Grapes come from the locality of San Sebastiano in Monforte d'Alba
• The soil, called Terre Bianche, is poor and low-yielding but the quality of fruit is excellent
• Fermentation with native yeasts for 15 days in stainless steel tank
• Aged in stainless steel tank for 6 months