2015 Cascina Fontana Barolo

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 91 points

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  5/5/2021 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points

  Made with organically farmed grapes. Fermented and macerated for approximately 25 days in stainless steel. Aged for 2 years in old botti and for another year in concrete tanks. Bottled February 26th, 2019) 14% alcohol.
  
  Quite pale and fully translucent raspberry red color and a thin colorless rim. Quite rich, sunny and sweetish nose with ripe aromas of strawberries and raspberries, some wizened red cherries, a little bit of savory meatiness, light notes of phenolic spice, a hint of dark-toned marmaladey fruit and a touch of balsamico richness. The wine is ripe, silky and quite full-bodied on the palate with rich, dark-toned flavors of ripe black raspberries, strawberries and some black cherries, a little bit of raw meat, light crunchy notes of fresh cranberries, a hint of gravelly minerality, a touch of pipe tobacco and an understated nuance of sour cherry bitterness that grows in intensity towards the drier aftertaste. Overall the wine feels balanced with its rather high acidity and moderately grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is quite dry, firm and somewhat grippy with lengthy flavors of tobacco and gravelly minerality, ripe cranberries and brambly raspberries, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of earthy spice, light animale funk, a sweeter hint of wild strawberry and a touch of meaty umami. The tannins make the wine end on a moderately gritty note.
  
  A serious, balanced and quite accessible traditionalist Barolo. In a lineup of Cascina Fontana's Barolo 2016, 2015 and Castiglione Falletto 2015, this was the softest and most accessible wine - even though even this wine felt like it is still slightly closed and going to improve for years more. However, the difference between the 2016 and 2015 was remarkable: while 2016 was drier, leaner and more austere, this wine was obviously more fruit-forward and aromatically more open with somewhat softer acidity and tannins. In all likelihood this wine is not going to be as long-lived as the 2016 vintage, but instead offering drinking pleasure earlier on. It is quite good already now, but I'd rather let it wait until its 10th birthday. Sophisticated and well-made stuff for the fans of classically styled Nebbiolo.

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  9/18/2018 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:

  Visit to Cascina Fontana (Perno, near Monforte d’Alba): From tank. A blend of grapes from the three sites. A nose of HP sauce, plums, balsamico, earth and some gentle florals. Moderately complex. Light, pure and clean on the palate. I had the impression of 2015 sweetness but with good energy and acidity. Acceptable weight and concentration. 14% alc.

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