Cascina Mario Fontana, Piedmont
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Cascina Mario Fontana, Piedmont,
Ready, but will keep,
Focussed, yet forever gentle and restrained, it’s a kernel of sage, dried rose, clove and loganberry; the fruit from his Castiglione Falletto vineyards of Valletti and Villero ensuring the noblest and silkiest of perfumes, complementing that of La Morra’s Gallinotto. On the palate sits elegantly briary bracken-like fruit; very suave, fluid, with plenty of nuance and savouriness. At its core a glint of red currant fruit. Very promising. A classic Barolo.
David Berry Green
Mario’s wines are always incredibly charming, supple and eloquent of the vintage; the 2010 is absolutely no different. This is very reminiscent of a Premier Cru Chambolle-Musigny, such is the purity and delicacy of the fruit and the finesse to the tannins. The palate has wonderfully sweet, pure fruit which has notes of almond and graphite. This is a hugely enjoyable wine and will drink surprisingly early, 2017 onwards, but I have no doubt that it will see many a year in the cellar.
Gary Owen - Private Account Manager
David Berry Green
Mario’s wines are always incredibly charming, supple and eloquent of the vintage; the 2010 is absolutely no different. This is very reminiscent of a Premier Cru Chambolle-Musigny, such is the purity and delicacy of the fruit and the finesse to the tannins. The palate has wonderfully sweet, pure fruit which has notes of almond and graphite. This is a hugely enjoyable wine and will drink surprisingly early, 2017 onwards, but I have no doubt that it will see many a year in the cellar.
Gary Owen - Private Account Manager
Cascina Mario Fontana, Piedmont,
Ready, but will keep,
It was his grandfather Saverio who reminded Mario of the merits of producing Barolo with one's own Nebbiolo fruit, rather than buying from those around. Mario took this lesson to heart, building on Saverio's legacy. He's gone a step further in 2011, introducing a battery of cement tanks in which to marry the wine – a blend of fruit from Castiglione Falletto and La Morra – prior to bottling. This has definitely given the 2011 Barolo a more relaxed, harmonious feel: dark strawberry-garnet, the nose charms with joyful summer fruit, of raspberry and strawberry, along with a hint of quinine and orange peel. It's very relaxed and civil, like Mario, yet with a more serious kernel of intensity, a tea-leaf and bergamot fragrance, a sense of purpose, of profoundness, sapid and long.
Sixth-generation Barolo producer Mario Fontana set out on his own in 1995, and since then has been refining his Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo wines with each year that passes. His Barolo is arguably the most Burgundian of our range, with delicacy and gentleness that comes from reasonable yields, traditional vinification, maturation in large Slavonian oak for 24 months and having one’s feet on the ground. He has just planted another hectare in the village of Sinio, taking the total to five hectares (the others being in Castiglione Falletto and La Morra, the latter belonging to his wife Luisa).
Sixth-generation Barolo producer Mario Fontana set out on his own in 1995, and since then has been refining his Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo wines with each year that passes. His Barolo is arguably the most Burgundian of our range, with delicacy and gentleness that comes from reasonable yields, traditional vinification, maturation in large Slavonian oak for 24 months and having one’s feet on the ground. He has just planted another hectare in the village of Sinio, taking the total to five hectares (the others being in Castiglione Falletto and La Morra, the latter belonging to his wife Luisa).
Cascina Mario Fontana, Piedmont,
Ready, but will keep,
'More savoury red cherry perfumed than the darker fruited 2004, the 2005 vintage was characterised by a mild summer and the threat of rain at harvest time. Mario's 2005 Barolo, a traditional blend of four vineyards Gallinotto, Pozzo, Villero & Valletti, remains unflustered, a deliciously svelte, delicate, gentle, supremely elegant & understated cherry stone wine that captures the vintage perfectly, supporting his philosophy of blending vineyards together to make one Barolo. Still primary, this wine will continue to unfurl over the next 10 years, till 2020. Lamb cutlets would go well.
(David Berry Green)
(David Berry Green)
Cascina Mario Fontana, Piedmont,
Ready, but will keep,
Mario decided not to make a Barolo del Comune di Castiglione Falletto in the 2014 vintage, so this is very much a “super-Barolo”, with a higher percentage of Castiglione Falletto (75 percent) than in 2013 when it made up 60 percent. The remaining 25 percent comes from their La Morra Giachino vineyard. Cassis, rose petals and rosemary dance on the nose. The palate leads with these flavours but also shows more La Morra characters, earthiness and orange peel. The quality of Castiglione Falletto is perhaps more evident on the tight, more chiselled palate, with a gleam of coiled cassis. It’s taut, exciting, sapid and long. Drink 2022-2035.
Davy Zyw, Wine Buyer
Davy Zyw, Wine Buyer
Showing 1-4 out of 4 items
6th generation Mario Fontana, along with his mother Elda, wife Luisa and their two boys Edoardo & Vasco, created Azienda Agricola Cascina Fontana, this tiny 4ha jewel of a Barolo estate in 1995.
Based in the hamlet of Perno they own parcels in three Castiglione Falletto vineyards: Valletti, Villero and Pozzo; in Sinio just beyond Serralunga & also in La Morra’s Gallinotto from vintage 2008. Mario tends the vines as sensitively as possible, makes the wine and, when necessary, also delivers it in his blue van.
He prefers the traditional approach to making Barolo wine: blending all his Nebbiolo vineyards to make one wine; the sum of the parts; a thoroughly consistent wine from one year to the next; a 15-20 day stainless-steel cuvaison; 2 years in large 25 hl slavonian barrels (a 30 year old chestnut barrel!), followed by 1 year in stainless steel and 1 year in bottle pre-release.
His languid Langhe Nebbiolo wine is made in the vineyards: using fruit from Castiglione’s Pozzo & Sinio’s vineyards, macerated for a shorter period than that destined for Barolo, the wine spends a brief invecchiamento (elevage) for twelve months in old french tonneaux. The perfection introduction to Nebbiolo, it can be drunk young or after ten years!
The full but svelte Barbera d’Alba is made from a combination of 60% fresh Sinio & 40% classy Castiglione Falletto fruit, aged for circa 12 months in used barriques; production on average only 500 cases/anno.
His philosophy harks back to the lessons learnt from his grandfather - "I was brought up with the smell of fermentations in my nostrils" – to the extent that he continues to place vats outside during winter to stabilise naturally, and will not move wine nor prune with the new moon.
In addition Mario goes the extra mile in quality control, performing one hundred checks on the wine prior to bottling. Traditional and contemporary winemaking at its best, and best enjoyed with food.