Jay Kline

9.3

Presented to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with very faint staining of the tears and no signs of sediment or gas. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of ripe and some tart and dried red fruits: Morello cherry, dried orange peel, roses, tar, dried green herbs, talcum powder, dry gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and so is the alcohol. Powerful and delicious.

Initial conclusions: this could be Nebbiolo, Sangiovese or possibly a Grenache blend from Italy or France. But if I’m trusting me notes here, this has gotta be Nebbiolo so that’s what I’m calling. Final conclusion: this is Nebbiolo from Italy, Piemonte, Barolo, and for the hell of it, I’m going to call Serralunga d’Alba…from a producer like Massolino, 2021. Ha! Vietti!! And I don’t hate my call because Castiglione Falletto is right next door. Tasty stuff, of course. Drink now with patience and through 2051. — 9 days ago

Richard Groves

8.9

Nice light and favorful-Auggie, Lloyd, Marko etc. — 6 months ago

Lisa H

8.9

Village tavern. Very good. — 6 months ago

Steven Heydemann

9.6

Stunning. — 6 months ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.3

Vietti 😍😍😍 . Love all their wines. Depth of flavour and enjoyment... — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Brought to V. Mertz from my cellar. Cascina Fontana is an ultra-traditional producer located in the commune of Castiglione Falletto; just across the border from Monforte d’Alba. The bulk of their holdings are western-facing parcels within the Mariondino MGA that were formerly part of the “Valletti Zone”. However, as an ultra-traditionalist, they only produce two Barolos and both are blends of fruit from different MGAs. One is labeled simply "Barolo" (which is a blend of fruit sourced from their holdings in both Castiglione Falletto and La Morra) and this wine, labeled under the “del Commune di Castiglione Falletto” designation. It is a blend fruit from Mariondino and the neighboring Villero MGA. Their holdings in Villero don’t suck either. Their parcels reside next to those of Vietti and Giacomo Fenocchio.

The 2016 Cascina Fontana pours a bright garnet with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity and no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous aromas of Morello cherry, bruised strawberry, pink and white roses with freshly cut stems, crushed rock and some tar. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory. The texture? Simply divine. A debonair Barolo from Castiglione Falletto that paired well with Morgan Ranch wagyu tartar. Because it’s 2016 (and with a little Villero), you can drink now with patience and through…well…probably 2066. No cap. — 2 years ago

Dave

9.2

Just always yummy.
Listening to Emmy Lou — a month ago

Joel Lara

9.0

Really tasty, with vibrant acidity balancing out the sweetness. Has intense flavors of passionfruit and peach with a pleasant, long finish. Bubbles provide a frothy, creamy texture. — 3 months ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.5

Bought at the vinyard in 2019 and we definately hit this at a sweet spot. Opens with menthol but soon comes fruit and leather. Perfect acidity. Very enjoyable — 3 months ago

Joe DAscoli

9.4

Was the first of a trio of Barolo and it showed as the early drinker with a lighter profile.

Great finesse and flavor without food. — 6 months ago

Boris Mathiszik

9.0

Nice Barbera. Good value at 20 bucks. Balanced and nice acidity. Restrained fruit. Made to be paired with food - pasta or savory appetizers. Yum. — 7 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.1

Vintage 2021 | dark colour, blackberry, plum, hint of violets. A rounded taste with spice. Beautiful balance. I like this wine that is a bit arrogant and playing hard to get. — 9 months ago

Ming L

9.0

The bottle that put the winery on the map.

Compared to the Vietti bottling that got me hooked on Mascato d’Asti, this single Cru is more viscous and taste a bit sweeter. Certainly the acidity is there for balance. It was delicious and we were drinking too fast. Would be lovely to pair with some light desserts. Lemon pound cake maybe? — 3 years ago

Ming L

9.0

A summer delight. — a month ago

Michael Dierberg

9.6

Tasted in a flight of 2006s, it was hard to choose between this one at the Roche. Both great! — a month ago

with JiaMin

Joel Lara

9.1

This is dangerously good. The peach and pear flavors are vibrant and just mesmerizing, and it has a nice minerality and good acidity that help balance the flavors out. If you don’t watch yourself, this bottle will be empty in a flash. This is just what I needed to remind me that summer is around the corner, and soon this New England winter will be a distant memory. — 4 months ago

Pippa

9.5

Honey and floral at first, but also citrus and pear. Lively but also depth. Really lovely just lovely. — 7 months ago

Martijn

9.0

Powerfull Barbaresco. — 9 months ago

Ted

9.1

Ok will buy and drink this again. Very slight fizz. Just a whisper. Ripe black cherry. — 3 years ago

with Jeni

Willem Booij

9.7

New kid in the block! Pretty awesome😋 — 4 years ago