Cascina Fontana, Barbera d'Alba, Piedmont, Italy 2023

Deep ruby red; on the nose, the scent of red roses, cherry jam, and wild woodland fruit, with delicates notes of spices and graphite. On the palate it is fresh, dry, and full-flavored.

The Cascina Fontana Barbera d’Alba is sourced from two vineyards: Vigna del Castello in Sinio, with 80 year old vines, and Vigna del Pozzo in Castiglione Falletto. Fermentation is short to preserve freshness, then the wine is aged in cement before passing to 220 liter oak barrels for 12 months.

The Fontana family has been producing wine in Monforte D’Alba, in the heart of the Langhe, for six generations, since 1820. Throughout these 200 years, they have always adhered to preserving tradition from the vineyards to the cellar lined with botti. But it was in 1994 that Mario Fontana began his chapter, on a mission to restore what his grandfather had put in place. Timing was on his side, as Piedmont was pulsing to the beat of the radically courageous Barolo Boys and the region’s wines began to be recognized and exported all over the world.