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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.3 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 13 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by StasMedvedev.lv on 3/1/2018 & rated 91 points: WineTalks.club Barolo Cru Night
Opened bottle 2hr in advance.
Purplish cherry unclear color w/ lots of sendiment. Strong reduction on the nose almost disqualified it as flawed, but improved in 2hrs spent in glass.
Very tannic structure. High acidity. Good on the palate. Muscular powerful wine from village of Serralunga d'Alba located in the eastern part of Barolo winemaking area.
Typically ageworthy bold wines w/ medium-full body.
Was interesting to compare to same '97 Cannubi (2728 views) | | | Tasted by dwmichel on 10/15/2017 & rated 90 points: Dried black cherry, black raspberry, dried rose, light graphite, dusty earth, light tar, dried tomato leaf. Almost Brunello-like, but curiously more soft than an '88 that I had. Still good acidity and tannins are very fine and well integrated. I believe this is a bit after it's prime, but Fontafredda is consistent enough to rely on a good product from most years. Drink up! (3134 views) | | | Tasted by sdwineguru on 7/10/2015 & rated 91 points: Mid-brick, amber edges; older Italian nose; wood, leather, earth; mid-body; balanced; softening tannins; slightly metallic finish; excellent food wine. w/veal (5083 views) | | | Tasted by Rezy13 on 5/30/2014: Friday Night Double Blind Tasting $40+ (Bin 75): Crimson core with orange rim, aged; soy, fennel, brown sugar, sandalwood, pure cherry, aged but still good flavors and richness; a ripe vintage that seems to be on an accelerated pace but this was well stored. (5843 views) | | | Tasted by Mellers on 2/9/2014: Decanted 3 hours. Delicate but quite muted nose. Showing its age I think as acidity dominating over fruit and structure. One dimensional (5874 views) | | | Tasted by Counselor Chris on 8/18/2011 & rated 90 points: Solid, correct Barolo in a traditional style and into its early maturity now. Nice accompaniment to dinner at Antonello's in OC, but no real wow factor or distinction to it. (5305 views) | | | Tasted by Vino Me on 8/11/2009 & rated 87 points: I took my only bottle of this wine to an offline with Squirrel Jam and our wives in Michigan. 2nd time I have had this wine. The last time was in 2003. I think I got this wine in a trade with Futronic. We did not decant this wine. This wine had some funk to it when first opened so some decanting would have helped. Some bricking. Soft fruit notes of cherry and pomegranite. Dried mushroom flavors as well. Somewhat short on the finish. I would drink this over the next few years if this bottle is representative. 86-87 points. (5459 views) | | | Tasted by Squirreljam on 8/8/2009: Not much help here from a TN perspective since I didn't take real notes on vacation, but VM and I come pretty close. Here's what I scribbled down a couple days later: "nice, tarry and earthy nose, restrained, soft mouthfeel" (3847 views) | | | Tasted by grafstrb on 3/7/2009: Dinner at Gia Cucina: -- popped and poured --
-- tasted non-blind --
Smoked meats and a hint of funk on the somewhat-tight nose; strong sense of cigar wrapper and spice, as well as loganberry on the palate; well-balanaced; still tight. Very good now, great in 5+ years. Hold. (3885 views) | | | Tasted by psmith on 9/11/2005: Dark, odd cherry nose with some VA and "blast furnace" notes. Angular with finishing grape tannins. **- (4080 views) | | | Tasted by AndrewSGHall on 9/10/2005: Cleveland Offline (Lockkeeper's): Balsamic and volatile on my nose. Seemed disjointed and had unpleasing notes, though natural ones, to me as well. Others liked this. There was some strawberry and aromatic notes underneath and a woody mushroom finish. Not my thing tonight. (4267 views) | | | Tasted by Vino Me on 4/20/2003 & rated 90 points: I've had the 1996 several times but not the 1997 until now. This is a blend of several vineyards from the Serralunga area. The wine was tighter and not showing as much as the 1996. Distinct cherry, dark berry and earthy notes. Needs time. Not quite as good as the 1996. 89-90. (3106 views) |
| Fontanafredda Producer Website
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)NebbioloNebbiolo is a red grape indigenous to the Piedmont region of Italy in the Northwest. The grape can also be found in other parts of the world, though they are not as respected.
Nebbiolo is often considered the "king of red wines," as it is the grape of the famed wines of Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, and Roero DOCG. It is known for high tannins and acidity, but with a distinct finesse. When grown on clay, Nebbiolo can be very powerful, tannic, and require long aging periods to reach its full potential. When grown on sand, the grape exhibits a more approachable body with more elegant fruit and less tannins, but still has high aging potential.
"Nebbiolo" is named for the Italian word, "nebbia", which means "fog", in Italian and rightfully so since there is generally a lot of fog in the foothills of Piedmont during harvest.
Nebbiolo is a late-ripening variety that does best in a continental climate that boasts moderate summers and long autumns. In Piedmont, Nebbiolo is normally harvested in October.
More links:
Varietal character (Appellation America) | Nebbiolo on CellarTrackerItaly Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorPiedmont Vignaioli Piemontesi (Italian only)
On weinlagen-infoLanghe Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Roero | Union of Producers of Albese Wines (Albeisa)BaroloRegional History:
The wines of Piedmont are noted as far back as Pliny's Natural History. Due to geographic and political isolation, Piedmont was without a natural port for most of its history, which made exportation treacherous and expensive. This left the Piedmontese with little incentive to expand production. Sixteenth-century records show a mere 14% of the Bassa Langa under vine -- most of that low-lying and farmed polyculturally. In the nineteenth century the Marchesa Falletti, a frenchwoman by birth, brought eonologist Louis Oudart from Champagne to create the first dry wines in Piemonte. Along with work in experimental vineyards at Castello Grinzane conducted by Camilo Cavour -- later Conte di Cavour, leader of the Risorgimento and first Prime Minister of Italy -- this was the birth of modern wine in the Piedmont. At the heart of the region and her reputation are Alba and the Langhe Hills. This series of weathered outcroppings south of the Tanaro River is of maritime origin and composed mainly of limestone, sand and clay, known as terra bianca. In these soils -located mainly around the towns of Barolo and Barbaresco -- the ancient allobrogica, now Nebbiolo, achieves its renowned fineness and power.
map of Barolo DOCG
An interesting thread on Traditional vs. Modern Barolo producers:
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=106291 |
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