External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2001
2000
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.9 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 44 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by CheapAndBest on 8/6/2023: With summer's best fresh tomato risotto and crown cap rib eyes with chimichirri made with roasted scallions and roasted lemons
Decanted and left alone for half a day.
Did not work as well as I would have hoped. Hypothesis is that the significant airing made the wine too mellow to work with the bright sparkly (fresh tomato charred lemons etc) food
The other wine (good quality Chateaneuf du Pape) worked brilliantly
Will stick with more north italian/umami food for next bottle (865 views) | | | Tasted by Bonesetter on 3/16/2023 & rated 90 points: Fontanafredda are one of my reference Baroli. Colour, weight, nose, palate are all a classic example of Barolo. While there was nothing spectacular about his one, it still hit all the right points. And the QPR is good. (1315 views) | | | Tasted by S. Connery on 3/10/2023 & rated 87 points: Lys rød farge i glasset. Aroma av kjølig frukt. Overmodne moreller med litt snerp. Godt av litt lufting, og da kommer den seg fort. Hadde ventet litt mer av denne, årgangen tatt i betraktning. (1333 views) | | | Tasted by CheapAndBest on 12/24/2022: Porchini/Truffle pasta. Followed by simply grilled steak and minted peas. 2016 basic barbaresco pre-meal
Into decanter 8 hours before drinking
Did well with the food. Acidity and strength were great counterpoint
Has 2-5 years to go before hitting super-goodness. Was very nice with the decant but will become better later (1332 views) | | | Tasted by Mezz on 11/20/2022 & rated 91 points: Really excellent right now in this format, consumed among friends for their wedding. Showing textbook sour red cherry, violets, hints of cedar, and a remarkably fine tannic finish. Outstanding wine, especially for the price. (1539 views) | | | Tasted by bajayngo on 8/10/2022: Deep, dark, rustic and classic. Layers of tar and the bitter but floral notes of rose with a bit of reductiveness but good acids holding it together. (1582 views) | | | Tasted by Barolo Please on 2/27/2022 & rated 88 points: 6 bottles pending (2016 views) | | | Tasted by albertoelli on 1/22/2022 & rated 92 points: Great expression of Barolo. Violet and some berries bouquet.
Mature and long in the mouth. (1934 views) | | | Tasted by Neecies on 1/7/2021: Popped and poured. Surprisingly supple and ready with classic nebbiolo flavors. (3186 views) | | | Tasted by CheapAndBest on 1/1/2021: Part of Christmas meal. 2+ hour airing. Grilled meat with complex accompanying sauce. Did very well. Enjoyed by all. Have several more bottles and look forward to the evolution over the coming years (2699 views) | | | Tasted by cvdeluca on 10/1/2020 & rated 90 points: Very tasty Barolo if on the young side. Will last for a long time. After a two hour decant, you got sharp crisp acidity, some muted red berrry fruit (but the fruit is there) and the classic Nebbiolo scent. Can’t wait to taste the next bottle in five years. Perfect with a rib eye on a cool evening. (3027 views) | | | Tasted by preid on 8/29/2020 & rated 89 points: Nice clear dark red color. Light and dry. Dark berries, licorice, pencil shavings. Medium length. Really nice Barolo for this price. (508 views) | | | Tasted by Tige on 8/5/2020 & rated 89 points: À carafer 1h-2h pour que le fruit s'exprime et que les tanins s'estompent. Pas très complexe mais très digeste. À boire à court-moyen terme. (2878 views) | | | Tasted by CheapAndBest on 4/23/2020: Maybe it is the inconvenience of the size but the 1L bottle on WTSO was half the price per regular sized bottle. A sold/regular Barolo with the red-fruit & tannin. But a workhorse Barolo at the price of a weeknight drinker - wow! (2109 views) | | | Tasted by camben on 4/23/2020: Taking a look at the vintage
Looking good
This wine basic right now
5 years killer (3128 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 12/27/2019: Served from magnum where bottles had been opened a few hours before but not decanted. I was a bit concerned these might come across as tight, but actually they were pretty ready to go even from the beginning. Served next to a Produttori Rabaja which was officially twice the price and yet these held their own quite nicely. Perhaps a bit of a darker and brooding style. Went great with steak though. Drinking nicely. Could certainly age more, but I appreciated how well it worked young as well. (3027 views) | | | Tasted by Ben Christiansen on 11/18/2019: This is the MGA. The label is the kings colors. Hence the stripes. Pure fruit on the nose. Nebbiolo and does smell like Serra lunga. From the place where the vines were planted 100 years ago. Hence mga. Apparently aome.new oak on this. Strangely enough, very hollow on the mid palate and finish. Maybe that its youth but this seems to be really boring barolo. Maybe it just needs.to open up? (3084 views) | | | Tasted by 54ver on 7/13/2019 & rated 85 points: Light garnet brown tinge, leggy visually
Chocolate vanilla cherry nose
Medium bodied, slightly acidic, rhubarb, dry, green pepper on palate Long dry finish (3356 views) | | | Tasted by bfbh on 5/3/2019: Quite musty taste. Maybe Oaked too long. I don’t think it is off. (1901 views) | | | Tasted by geoffjb on 2/21/2019: Medium garnet in colour with orange at the edges. Aromas were predominantly earthy (soil) with hints at fruit including cherry and strawberry. Full-bodied with medium tannins and acidity—both perfectly balanced—there was tangy cherry, oak, and mushroom on the palate. The tannins were supportive and integrated and this is certainly ready to drink now. A very complex and enjoyable wine. (3275 views) | | | Tasted by forceberry on 2/4/2019 & rated 88 points: 14% alcohol.
Translucent, medium-deep pomegranate color with a subtly maroon hue. Predominantly earthy nose with dry and somewhat understated aromas of dusty soil some meaty tones, a little bit of cranberry, light sour cherry tones, a hint of smoky tar and a touch of savory old wood. The wine is dry, full-bodied and quite sinewy on the palate with flavors of black cherries, some gamey meat, a little bit of ripe sour cherry, light developed notes of raisiny character and wizened plums, a hint of dusty earth and a touch of tar. The wine feels quite structured with its moderately high acidity and rather firm and grippy tannins. The finish is dry, grippy and quite tannic with long flavors of sour cherry bitterness, some meaty tones, a little bit of earthy spices, a hint of game and a touch of savory old wood.
I've been wondering for some time what is wrong with these Fontanafredda Serralunga d'Alba Barolo wines. I've now had multiple vintages of this wine which smells like somewhat dusty, earthy and even vaguely corked with a slightly dull, earthy taste. The wine most likely isn't corked, since the wines seem to exhibit the similar taste vintage after another (and many other people seem to have noticed the same earthy characteristic as well). As a whole, this is not a bad wine - not even a bad Barolo - with its intensity and good sense of structure, but with its dull, earthy overtones, this really isn't a charming wine either. (2227 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 12/21/2018 & rated 87 points: Quick White Truffle Lunch...with Restaurant Pairings (Eataly - Chicago IL): Light and pleasant Barolo, with an earthy character for a Barolo this young, but finishing with sneaky length I truly enjoyed. (3346 views) | | | Tasted by Vinnut on 9/22/2018 & rated 90 points: Medium-deep bright reddish garnet in color. Full, forward & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, strawberries & blueberries with overtones of floral notes of roses & earthy/dusty, spices, dried herbs, anise, leather, some tar & minerals. Medium-full bodied with a good concentration of balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of sour cherries, blueberries & pomegranate with herbs, earthiness, spices & minerals. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well with decanting & airing & although it is presently accessible, it will benefit & develop further with additional aging & may rate a higher score over time. A distinctive 25th Anniversary label of the Serralunga d'Alba designation. (3299 views) | | | Tasted by jvphoto on 6/23/2018 & rated 89 points: Ruby color with a bright nose. Tangy cherry dominates the palate with a little earthy tanin finish. More interesting as the bottle started to empty. (3692 views) | | | Tasted by RussK on 3/12/2018 & rated 91 points: Russk at the Suckling Tasting. Not too tight. (3790 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By David Lawrason
WineAlign (4/20/2018)
(Fontanafredda Serralunga D'alba Barolo, Barolo red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (4/19/2018)
(Fontanafredda Serralunga D'alba Barolo, Barolo red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2013 Barolo: The Late Releases (Oct 2017) (10/1/2017)
(Fontanafredda Barolo Del Comune Di Serralunga D'alba Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Gary Walsh
The WINEFRONT (9/21/2017)
(Fontanafredda Barolo Serralunga d’Alba) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (6/9/2017)
(Fontanafredda Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba, Italy) Subscribe to see review text. | By James Suckling
JamesSuckling.com (9/6/2016)
(Fontanafredda Barolo Serralunga, Italy) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of WineAlign and Vinous and The WINEFRONT and JamesSuckling.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| 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 |
|
