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Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino

Piedmont, Italy
Two brothers, Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino, run this family estate in Monforte d'Alba. As a fifty percent owner of Cantina Bartolo Mascarello for a large part of his career, Alessandro made the wines there and managed the vineyards for 20 years, from 1978 to 1998. In 1998 he sold his half to Bartolo's daughter Maria-Teresa, and dedicated himself to helping his brother run their family estate full-time.
The brothers own eight hectares in the heart of the historic Bussia cru north of Monforte, one of Barolo's most famous areas for producing wines of great longevity and finesse. The Fantino holdings are concentrated exclusively in the "Dardi" section of Bussia, a hillside with perfect southeastern exposure in the geographic center of Bussia. This gives them their "Cascina Dardi" brand name on the label of their Barbera and Baroli (for those already familiar with these wines, they were formerly labeled as Vigna dei Dardi, before the brotheres registered the Cascina Dardi trademark).
Barolos from Bussia tend to have deep color and rich fruit and while they don't lack the classic tannic structure of Nebbiolo from this part of the world, they are not nearly as hard as the Barolos from the southside of Monforte or from Serralunga. This fact does not preclude the Fantino Baroli from aging but makes them delightfully approachable relatively young. The Fantinos are also blessed with some of the oldest vines in the entire Barolo zone, thanks to the fastidious care given to them by Alessandro and Gian Natale. Planted in 1946 and 1947 and pruned in an old style that is very labor intensive, they produce grapes that would be the envy of any Barolista.
The Fantino brothers produce an amazing Barbera d'Alba from these ancient vines in Dardi, and a "Rosso dei Dardi" from younger vine Nebbiolo planted on an east facing slope. The Barbera is loaded with lush fruit and smooth, silky texture, and a ravishing perfume. The Rosso is playful, fruit-driven, fresh, and aromatic. They are also specialists with several traditional Piemontese wines that are mostly disappearing: Nebbiolo Passito and Barolo Chinato.

Info

  • WINEMAKER: Alessandro & Gian Natale Fantino
  • COUNTRY: Italy
  • REGION: Piedmont
  • APPELLATION: Barolo
  • FARMING PRACTICES: Sustainable
  • IMPORTER: Kermit Lynch
  • WEBSITE: www.vino-fantino.com