Medium to dark ruby colour. Red fruit, cherry, blueberry, roses, iron, tar, herbal notes, ethereal notes, spices, and liquorice, with high acidity, dry, medium-fine tannin, and very good length of the dry finish. The flavours coat the palate and linger for quite some time. Very mineral. Seems very rustic upon opening, but finds its balance with aeration, even if it never loses its light earthy rusticity which adds character in a positive way. Best enjoyed with food (salami springs to mind). Make sure to decant at least two hours in advance. A very good Nebbiolo! Prime drinking window potentially only from 2024+.
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The fruit is sourced from old Vigna del Castello vineyard in Sinio, outside the Barolo region, but some lots from Vigna del Pozzo in Castiglione Falletto in the Barolo region are blended in. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, macerated with the skins for 2 weeks. Aged first for 8 months in stainless steel and then for a further year in large Slavonian oak casks. 14% alcohol. Decanted for 4 hours.
Quite translucent dark ruby color with brick-red highlights. Quite big, fruity and somewhat sweet-toned nose with brooding aromas of black cherries, licorice root, some dusty earth, a little bit of charred meat, light marmaladey notes of strawberries, a hint of sappy herbal character and a touch of sweet blueberry. The wine is ripe, moderately full-bodied and quite rich on the palate with surprisingly dry flavors juicy raspberries, some sour cherry bitterness, light gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of sanguine iron, a crunchy hint of cranberry and a touch of licorice. The overall feel is pretty stern and tightly-knit with the assertive and relatively tough tannins and high acidity. The finish is pretty tightly-knit, somewhat warm and quite tannic with long flavors of raspberries, some crunchy cranberries, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light earthy tones, hints of licorice and anise and a touch of smoke.
A very stern, serious and structured Nebbiolo that is more like a true Barolo than a "mere" Langhe Nebbiolo. The wine feels slightly more closed and less expressive than in February when I had the wine last time, but this is nevertheless pretty impressive and thoroughly well-made stuff. Seeing how youthful, structured and relatively tough the wine is, I can see it evolving easily for another decade or so. Despite the warm vintage, the wine comes across as surprisingly balanced with the fresh acidity and good sense of precision. Great old-school stuff and definitely among the best Langhe Nebbiolos I know.
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The fruit is sourced from old Vigna del Castello vineyard in Sinio, outside the Barolo region, but some lots from Vigna del Pozzo in Castiglione Falletto in the Barolo region are blended in. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, macerated with the skins for 2 weeks. Aged first for 8 months in stainless steel and then for a further year in large Slavonian oak casks. 14% alcohol.
Quite translucent black cherry color with brick-red highlights. The nose feels ripe, juicy and rather brooding with sweet-toned aromas of black cherry marmalade, some fragrant strawberry tones, a little bit of stony minerality, a hint of ripe dark-toned fruits and a touch of savory spices. While the nose feels sweet, it never comes across as jammy or too ripe. The wine is surprisingly lean, tough and structured on the palate with medium body and dry, sinewy flavors of stony minerality, sour cherry bitterness, some tart lingonberries, a little bit of sweeter wild strawberry, light sanguine notes of iron and a hint of brambly raspberry. The structure relies equally much on the high acidity and firm, assertive and grippy tannins. The high alcohol lends a bit of warmth to the palate. The finish is dry, tannic and grippy with dry, focused flavors of ripe cranberries, some sanguine iron, a little bit of gamey meat, light smoky tones, a hint of tart lingonberry and a touch of sour cherry bitterness. The high alcohol makes the wine finish on a somewhat warm note.
A very impressive, muscular and structured Langhe Nebbiolo that could easily work as a stand-in for a true Barolo. The overall feel is still quite youthful and as the general style is very high-strung and structure-driven, the wine certainly isn't showing its best yet. However, you can taste that this is a rather ambitious effort, feeling more like a Barolo or Barbaresco made from grapes outside the appellations, than a "baby Barolo" that is made from grapes not good enough for the real thing. Most likely needs another 8-12 years before hitting its drinking window and probably peaking only after 15-20 years. Although the wine is pretty ripe and the high alcohol shows at times, the acidity feels remarkably high for the vintage and keeps it all together pretty effortlessly. Fantastic old-school stuff.
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Visit to Cascina Fontana (Perno, near Monforte d’Alba): Cascina Fontana are very happy with how their 2017s are looking to date. Sample from a 50 year old chestnut barrel. Sinio and Castiglione Falletto grapes. A bouquet of strawberry bubblegum, red cherries and a little red plum. A sweetish entry to the palate. Bright, energetic red berries. Fine grained, polished tannins. Good at this level.
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9/8/2023 - ThijsV Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium intensity on the nose with roses, violet, dark cherry, strawberry, plum. Very fruity. Medium+ acidity , medium+ tannins, medium finish. 90-91
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10/20/2021 - PSPatrick wrote: 90 Points
Medium to dark ruby colour. Red fruit, cherry, blueberry, roses, iron, tar, herbal notes, ethereal notes, spices, and liquorice, with high acidity, dry, medium-fine tannin, and very good length of the dry finish. The flavours coat the palate and linger for quite some time. Very mineral. Seems very rustic upon opening, but finds its balance with aeration, even if it never loses its light earthy rusticity which adds character in a positive way. Best enjoyed with food (salami springs to mind). Make sure to decant at least two hours in advance. A very good Nebbiolo! Prime drinking window potentially only from 2024+.
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9/23/2021 - Cleancut wrote:
Sträv, och kanske aningen besk. Behöver mjukas upp lite. Testar en till flaska hösten 2022.
Bra med smak, men känns inte klar.
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9/23/2020 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points
The fruit is sourced from old Vigna del Castello vineyard in Sinio, outside the Barolo region, but some lots from Vigna del Pozzo in Castiglione Falletto in the Barolo region are blended in. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, macerated with the skins for 2 weeks. Aged first for 8 months in stainless steel and then for a further year in large Slavonian oak casks. 14% alcohol. Decanted for 4 hours.
Quite translucent dark ruby color with brick-red highlights. Quite big, fruity and somewhat sweet-toned nose with brooding aromas of black cherries, licorice root, some dusty earth, a little bit of charred meat, light marmaladey notes of strawberries, a hint of sappy herbal character and a touch of sweet blueberry. The wine is ripe, moderately full-bodied and quite rich on the palate with surprisingly dry flavors juicy raspberries, some sour cherry bitterness, light gravelly mineral tones, a little bit of sanguine iron, a crunchy hint of cranberry and a touch of licorice. The overall feel is pretty stern and tightly-knit with the assertive and relatively tough tannins and high acidity. The finish is pretty tightly-knit, somewhat warm and quite tannic with long flavors of raspberries, some crunchy cranberries, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light earthy tones, hints of licorice and anise and a touch of smoke.
A very stern, serious and structured Nebbiolo that is more like a true Barolo than a "mere" Langhe Nebbiolo. The wine feels slightly more closed and less expressive than in February when I had the wine last time, but this is nevertheless pretty impressive and thoroughly well-made stuff. Seeing how youthful, structured and relatively tough the wine is, I can see it evolving easily for another decade or so. Despite the warm vintage, the wine comes across as surprisingly balanced with the fresh acidity and good sense of precision. Great old-school stuff and definitely among the best Langhe Nebbiolos I know.
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2/15/2020 - Ran-Dom-Perignon wrote: 88 Points
Nose Med- intensity, strawberry, cranberry marmalade, floral--, fresh figs-, wood
Med+ body, tannins+, acid med+, long-
Palate ripe cranberry, wild raspberry, focused
Nice acidity for a 2017
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2/13/2020 - forceberry wrote: 92 Points
The fruit is sourced from old Vigna del Castello vineyard in Sinio, outside the Barolo region, but some lots from Vigna del Pozzo in Castiglione Falletto in the Barolo region are blended in. Fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, macerated with the skins for 2 weeks. Aged first for 8 months in stainless steel and then for a further year in large Slavonian oak casks. 14% alcohol.
Quite translucent black cherry color with brick-red highlights. The nose feels ripe, juicy and rather brooding with sweet-toned aromas of black cherry marmalade, some fragrant strawberry tones, a little bit of stony minerality, a hint of ripe dark-toned fruits and a touch of savory spices. While the nose feels sweet, it never comes across as jammy or too ripe. The wine is surprisingly lean, tough and structured on the palate with medium body and dry, sinewy flavors of stony minerality, sour cherry bitterness, some tart lingonberries, a little bit of sweeter wild strawberry, light sanguine notes of iron and a hint of brambly raspberry. The structure relies equally much on the high acidity and firm, assertive and grippy tannins. The high alcohol lends a bit of warmth to the palate. The finish is dry, tannic and grippy with dry, focused flavors of ripe cranberries, some sanguine iron, a little bit of gamey meat, light smoky tones, a hint of tart lingonberry and a touch of sour cherry bitterness. The high alcohol makes the wine finish on a somewhat warm note.
A very impressive, muscular and structured Langhe Nebbiolo that could easily work as a stand-in for a true Barolo. The overall feel is still quite youthful and as the general style is very high-strung and structure-driven, the wine certainly isn't showing its best yet. However, you can taste that this is a rather ambitious effort, feeling more like a Barolo or Barbaresco made from grapes outside the appellations, than a "baby Barolo" that is made from grapes not good enough for the real thing. Most likely needs another 8-12 years before hitting its drinking window and probably peaking only after 15-20 years. Although the wine is pretty ripe and the high alcohol shows at times, the acidity feels remarkably high for the vintage and keeps it all together pretty effortlessly. Fantastic old-school stuff.
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9/18/2018 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:
Visit to Cascina Fontana (Perno, near Monforte d’Alba): Cascina Fontana are very happy with how their 2017s are looking to date. Sample from a 50 year old chestnut barrel. Sinio and Castiglione Falletto grapes. A bouquet of strawberry bubblegum, red cherries and a little red plum. A sweetish entry to the palate. Bright, energetic red berries. Fine grained, polished tannins. Good at this level.
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