Fontanabianca

Ruby with violet reflexes. Round bouquet of elderberries, blueberry muffins and dried spices. At the palate well structured with well-proportioned body, nice ripe tannins and in the round final a breath of tender almond tones. SUPERIORE.DE

Fontanabianca has created an elegant and densely packed Barbera. It shows the exuberance and potential of the grape, yet with appropriate restraint. It is neither jammy nor too fruity, but indulges with a fine dose of dried cherry and plum aromas, plus some Spanish cedar with a fine citrus note. A well-balanced drop with a beautiful final. SUPERIORE.DE

"Revealing dark cherry and dried blackberry, the Fontanabianca 2019 Barbera d'Alba Superiore is a mid-weight expression that delivers the black fruit intensity this grape is known for, but it also shows a good level of mouth-freshening acidity. This wine would pair nicely with a flatbread or pinsa topped with pulled pork and smoked cheese. You get good value here." Robert Parker

A Nebbiolo for purists. Pine resin, dried fruit and ethereal spices on the nose. On the palate, we find lots of juicy cherry alongside sweet plum, plus robust tannins and a fine mineral acidity. This drop calls for a strong food companion and is a great pleasure in this combination! SUPERIORE.DE

Bright ruby red with orange reflections. Fine bouquet of violets, forest floor and a balsamic camphor note. On the palate Marasca cherry, some raspberry, liquorice and a mint note. Fresh acidity and the right amount of elegant tannins round off the lively and long final. SUPERIORE.DE

"Packed with plum, cherry, earth, tobacco and iron flavors, this red is as savory as it is fruity. Firms up on the finish, with mouthcoating tannins leaving their mark on the finish. Eucalyptus and rosemary accents linger." Wine Spectator

"Red cherries with hints of cassis and earth, against a background of solid, spicy oak. Medium-bodied with firm oak and fruit tannins and a rather chewy finish. Give this two or three of years to even out." James Suckling

"The Fontanabianca 2018 Barbaresco is taut and elegant, showing the kind of bright primary fruit that should accompany this wine as it begins and completes its aging trajectory. The wine is very silky and fine, and it shows a nuanced texture that gives this bottle its competitive edge. Fruit comes from a 4.5-hectare site with south and southeast exposures and calcareous clay soils." Robert Parker

With less than two grams of residual sugar, this high-quality spumante, produced using the Champagne method, is a particularly dry representative of its kind. The Chardonnay grapes come from clay and limestone terroir about 450m above sea level in the small municipality of Neviglie. Fresh and floral on the nose with beautiful citrus and subtle yeast notes. Fine perlage, harmonious on the palate with a fine creaminess and a multilayered finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Medium-bodied ruby red, fine rose bouquet with hints of tea and dried herbs. Beautiful black cherry aroma with well-integrated wood notes makes it a balanced and at no point intrusive wine. The 2016 climate also gave this Nebbiolo an impressive precision and straightness. SUPERIORE.DE

"Medium red; some fruit, tobacco; powerful, juicy, good tartness, very pleasant." Merum

"Developed-looking mid ruby with bricky rim. Brooding, complex, deep nose with a hint of Moroccan leather. Generous but not yet fully open fruit, stitched together by gorgeous chewy tannins and ripe acidity. Good medium-term potential." Jancis Robinson

Medium deep ruby red with orange reflections. Wonderful bouquet of fine sour cherry and strawberry compote with restrained oak spice. Complex and juicy on the palate with a potpourri of dark fruit, framed by fine-grained tannin. Well structured, it leads to an interesting, long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

"Tasted blind. Mid ruby with bricky rim. Deep, brooding nose with a hint of fruit pastry and succulent, dark fruit and dried cherry on the palate. Lots of juice on the finish, while the coating tannins give it grip." Jancis Robinson

"Packaged in the bottle with the black label, the Fontanabianca 2017 Barbaresco Bordini shows us a beautiful expression from Neive, one of the three principal comuni, or villages, that make up the appellation. The results here are tightly knit and firm, with lifted aromas of forest fruit, iron ore, cola and balsam herb. The tannins show some dryness, probably a consequence of the hot vintage, but the wine offers plenty of extra fruit padding and cushioning in order to hit the right balance. The final results are yielding and pliable." Robert Parker

"A firm, fresh red with raspberry, lemon-peel and light cedar undertones. It’s medium-bodied with chewy, polished tannins that are long and very intense. Just a baby. Give it time to come around. Better after 2022." James Suckling

Only in the best years, the grapes from the one-hectare Barbera vineyard "Brunet", planted by Matteo's grandfather in the 1960s, are turned into their own Barbera d'Alba Superiore, and this is bottled in a few hundred magnum bottles after 2 years of ageing in large wood, and only released in small quantities on request. The 2018 edition is more restrained and elegant than the classic Barbera Superiore of the house. A brightness and freshness shines from the glass, which, together with the bouquet of wild cherry and blackberry, reveals a terrific independence and finesse. Then, in the drink, a depth and length flanked by well-proportioned acidity and mild tannins, which make the wine a great companion for juicy steaks or braised game dishes as it matures in the bottle. This is a Barbera Cru in a class of its own! SUPERIORE.DE

Medium deep ruby red with orange reflections. Wonderful bouquet of fine sour cherry and strawberry compote with restrained oak spice. Complex and juicy on the palate with a potpourri of dark fruit, framed by fine-grained tannin. Well structured, it leads to an interesting, long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

"Tasted blind. Mid ruby with bricky rim. Deep, brooding nose with a hint of fruit pastry and succulent, dark fruit and dried cherry on the palate. Lots of juice on the finish, while the coating tannins give it grip." Jancis Robinson

"Packaged in the bottle with the black label, the Fontanabianca 2017 Barbaresco Bordini shows us a beautiful expression from Neive, one of the three principal comuni, or villages, that make up the appellation. The results here are tightly knit and firm, with lifted aromas of forest fruit, iron ore, cola and balsam herb. The tannins show some dryness, probably a consequence of the hot vintage, but the wine offers plenty of extra fruit padding and cushioning in order to hit the right balance. The final results are yielding and pliable." Robert Parker

"A firm, fresh red with raspberry, lemon-peel and light cedar undertones. It’s medium-bodied with chewy, polished tannins that are long and very intense. Just a baby. Give it time to come around. Better after 2022." James Suckling