1996 Conterno Fantino Barolo Vigna Del Gris

Conterno Fantino is located in Italy’s Piedmont appellation. It was founded in 1982 when Guido Fantino and Claudio Conterno purchased land and started making Barolo. By the late 1980s the 56-acre estate was winning praise from Gambero Rosso and Wine Spectator. Vineyards are planted to primarily Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, with small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The vineyards have been farmed organically for more than a decade. About 140,000 bottles are produced annually. Conterno-Fantino’s signature wines are the Barolo Sori Ginestra and Barolo Vigna del Gris, but Gambero Rosso notes that “all the wines are beautifully clean and eminently drinkable.”

Barolo is one of Italy’s greatest wine appellations. In fact many cognoscenti of Italian wines consider Barolo to be the apex of Italian winemaking. Barolo is sometimes referred to as “the king of wines, and the wine of kings” partly because until the mid-19th century Piedmont was owned by the noble House of Savoy, the historic rulers of northwestern Italy. And the Savoys had a taste for Nebbiolo. Nestled into the rolling hills of Langhe, the Barolo DOCG includes 11 communes, one of which is the town of Barolo. There are 4,200 vineyard acres in the appellation and since the late 19th century growers have tried to identify their best vineyards. By marketing some vineyards as better quality than others, Barolo producers have followed the Burgundian custom of making single vineyard, or “cru” vineyard bottlings. As in neighboring Barbaresco, the Barolo DOCG requires that wines be 100% Nebbiolo, a grape thought of as the Pinot Noir of Italy. Records show that Nebbiolo was grown in the Piedmont as early as the 14th century, and despite being somewhat finicky – it is late to ripen and easily damaged by adverse weather --- Nebbiolo makes highly aromatic and powerful red wines. Until the mid-19th century Nebbiolos of Piedmont were vinified as sweet wines, though that ended in the late 19th century when a French oenologist was invited to Piedmont to show producers how to make dry reds. Barolo was made a DOC in 1966 and upgraded to DOCG status in 1980. Barolos must be aged at least three years, at least two of those years in wood. Barolos are tannic and robust and generally need at least five years to soften into complex, earthy wines.

This red grape is most often associated with Piedmont, where it becomes DOCG Barolo and Barbaresco, among others. Its name comes from Italian for “fog,” which descends over the region at harvest. The fruit also gains a foggy white veil when mature.