A Barolo Vintage That Displays The Power Of Longevity

There are some vintages that polarize wine critics and connoisseurs as they create strong feelings in the great vintage versus lackluster vintage camp; Barolo 1996 is one of those vintages. In ‘96, the winegrowing area of Barolo in Piedmont, Italy, had a wet spring, hot summer and a significant amount of rain before harvest. So the wines were high in acidity, had lots of structure with a good amount of ripeness but they were overshadowed by the opulent 1997s which were tempting in their youth with their decadent fruit and so, initially, some Barolo lovers were seduced by the delicious ripeness of the ‘97 with fewer preferring the ‘96. Still today, many people have proclaimed that the 1996 Barolo wines have just never come around to fully integrate their structure while retaining enough fruit to balance out the multitude of tertiary notes that have developed while others disagree with such sentiments and state that some of the wines are just starting to come into their glory.

Fontanafredda

This 1996 discussion was started by the chief winemaker of Fontanafredda, Giorgio Lavagna, while tasting through different vintages of their Barolo wines. Fontanafredda was founded in 1858 by the first King of a united Italy, Victor Emmanuel II and it was his dream to live the quiet life with his true love, Rosa Vercellana, a simple peasant. The King was initially in an arranged marriage but after his first wife, the Queen, died, he married Rosa who was his mistress at the time. But it was not acceptable for the King to be married to a peasant and so they decided to live their life, with their children, outside of the royal courts on their Fontanafredda estate that encompassed various crops. Their son, Emanuele Alberto, really understood the potential of the area for the cultivation of vines for great wine and he started to make Barolo while also promoting the wines around the world.

But unfortunately, phylloxera (the louse that destroyed European vineyards) combined with the Great Depression in the U.S. in 1929 caused the estate to fall into financial ruins and it was eventually purchased by a bank. In 2009, two native-born Piedmont wine enthusiasts, Oscar Farinetti and Luca Baffigo Filangieri (the founders of the Eataly markets) purchased Fontanafredda to bring it back to its former glory; their hard work was validated in 2017 when it was awarded “European Winery of the Year” by the wine magazine Wine Enthusiast. The Fontanafredda estate is a 250 acre property in the Barolo township of Serralunga d’Alba and it is the single largest contiguous wine estate in the Langhe area in Piedmont as well as it being considered the largest certified organic company in Piedmont since the 2018 harvest. Fontanafredda owns other vineyards outside of Serralunga in addition to working with around 400 local growers and they pay 20-25% above market prices for organically grown grapes. The current chief winemaker, Giorgio Lavagna, started working for Fontanafredda after already having a long winemaking career that started in 1983 at one of the largest wineries in La Morra township in Barolo, called Batasiolo and in 2006 worked for the legendary Bruno Giacosa until he was “stolen from Giacosa to work at Fontanafredda” in 2013 as Giorgio phrased it with a chuckle.

The Three Eras of Barolo

Giorgio was born and raised in Turin, Piedmont, studied enology in Alba and he has worked his whole career working with Barolo wines and so Barolo is in his blood. As he presented wines from 1996 through 2015, he expressed his opinion about the three different eras of Barolo. “The first was in the 70s where everything happened by chance, no controls, no studies, everything was based on moon phases and the climate was cooler and rainier” Giorgio started off. “The second era was from the 80s to 2000 and all the vintages were expected to be very rich, deeply colored, ready to drink, so everything was standardized and selling Barolo was the main goal of every winemaker and owner” he stated with a knowing look of someone who lived through it “and the third era is all about the farmer and winemaker walking the same path.” In regards to the third era, he noted that the winemaker thought at one time that he was the creator of the wine but that is no longer true today; instead, the winemaker is the person who “preserves at maximum what the grapes can give.” Considering these eras, it is no wonder that 1996 was not considered an initial success across the board and that 1997 was considered the wine easier to sell on release.

Vintages that Dazzle and Vintages that Last

Giorgio said that he understands why people liked 1997 as it was a delicious vintage that dazzled from the very beginning but that he preferred a wine like the 1996 that may have not been the same showstopper on release but in the right moment it can show a beauty and “elegance” that is beyond one’s imagination. In a way, it is like people – some are superstars that dazzle the world, and there is no doubt that the world needs people like that, but others, who have been doing their essential job for a long time, may not seem as special and perhaps even at times rough around the edges because they need some of that grit to accomplish the things that make the world go round. Right now the world is living in challenging times trying to battle an unfamiliar virus. In these times, the people who have kept their heads down working those jobs that are incredibly vital are being viewed in a new light that makes them the super heroes the world needs in this moment. The world will be forever changed at this point and when it comes to those vintages that last, or those people who are able to continue the grind, we will have a renewed appreciation that goes beyond the dazzle.

2012 Fontanafredda, Alta Langa DOCG “Contessa Rosa” Rosé: 80% Pinot Nero and 20% Chardonnay. This is a small production traditional sparkling wine (only 2000 bottles made) that Fontanafredda produces; first vintage was in 2008. The Alta Langa DOCG area is ideal for Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) and Chardonnay for sparkling wine since it is cooler with more drastic swings in temperature. A unique aspect of this traditional sparkling wine is the addition of 1967 Barolo to the liqueur d’expédition (wine added after disgorgement). Captivating nose with citrus blossom, grated ginger and nutmeg that had fine, creamy bubbles with a mineral-driven finish.

2015 Fontanafredda, Barolo DOCG Serralunga d’Alba: 100% Nebbiolo from the township of Serralunga d’Alba. Giorgio discussed the differences between the 11 townships located in Barolo and noted that La Morra and Serralunga d’Alba were opposites with La Morra being “more feminine with floral notes” contrasted with Serralunga being more austere with “high acidity and strong tannins” that helped the wines age longer; this was due to La Morra having more sandy soils that were younger (11 million years old) compared to Serralunga having more clay and calcareous soils that were older (15 million years old) according to Giorgio. Rose water with fresh balsamic herb, crisp acidity and firm tannins that were balanced by juicy black cherry fruit.

2013 Fontanafredda, Barolo DOCG, Serralunga d’Alba, MGA Fontanafredda: 100% Nebbiolo from the “Fontanafredda” vineyard. In 2010 the consortium of Barolo and Barbaresco codified what is known as MGA or MeGA (Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva) which is equivalent to the French cru system. Fontanafredda is not only the name of an estate/winery but it is the name of an MGA zone that is completely owned by Fontanafredda and hence it is like a French monopole. Giorgio notes that it is located in a warmer area of Serralunga that has more sand in the soil. This 2013 had earthier notes and riper fruit with savory herbs and soft tannins that had lovely violet aromas on the finish. 

2011 Fontanafredda, Barolo DOCG, Serralunga d’Alba, “Vigna La Rosa”: 100% Nebbiolo from the ”La Rosa” vineyard which is shaped like an amphitheatre. Fontanafredda states that “Vigna La Rosa” is the first unclassified single vineyard in Barolo. A vibrant wine with crunchy fruit (cranberries) and energetic acidity with finely etched tannins that was intriguingly complex with fresh leather and black tea.

1996 Fontanafredda, Barolo DOCG, Serralunga d’Alba, “Vigna La Rosa”: 100% Nebbiolo from the ”La Rosa” vineyard. An ethereal wine that is exquisite in its vividly presented aromas of fresh black truffles, smoldering earth and intense minerality that danced along the finely-knitted tannins that acted like a corset adding shape and dimension to this wine.

2010 Fontanafredda, Barolo DOCG Riserva, Serralunga d’Alba, “Vigna La Rosa”: 100% Nebbiolo from the ”La Rosa” vineyard. Riserva is only produced in the best vintages of this single vineyard; minimum for the law for Riserva is five years of aging but sometimes five years is not enough for Fontanafredda. A high-toned wine with bright red cherries, mouthwatering acidity and fine tannins with pepper and morels on the refined finish.

2000 Fontanafredda, Barolo DOCG Riserva, Serralunga d’Alba, “Vigna La Rosa”: 100% Nebbiolo from the ”La Rosa” vineyard. Plush blackberry fruit with a marvelous complexity of licorice, pressed rose petal and crushed rocks that had round tannins like big, wide ribbons of silk.