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More wines available from Conterno Fantino
750ml
Bottle:
$23.94
100% Barbera from selected vineyards in the village of Monforte d’Alba. Vineyards planted from 1980 – 1998. 200...
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$66.28
A new wine from Conterno-Fantino, the 2013 Barolo Castelletto Vigna Pressenda, is fabulous. Dark red cherry, plum,...
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$60.28
The 2014 Barolo Castelletto Vigna Pressenda kicks off this flight of 2014 Barolos at Conterno-Fantino. Unusually...
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$66.12
Aromas of tar, licorice and dark fruit follow through to a full body, super tight and chewy tannins and a long,...
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$98.82
The Conterno Fantino 2016 Barolo Castelletto Vigna Pressenda (with 6,500 bottles produced) draws its fruit from a...
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Winery
Conterno Fantino
Vintage: 2011
The year 2011 was an interesting year for many northern and central European countries, as the weather was more than unpredictable in the spring and summer. However, in most countries, the climatic conditions thankfully settled down in the late summer and fall. The result of this slightly difficult year of weather in France was a set of surprisingly small yields, but overall, these yields were of a higher quality than those harvested in certain previous years. A fantastic set of wines was also made in Italy and Spain, and the Rioja wines - when released - are set to be very good indeed. Austria also had superb year in 2011, with almost fifty percent more grapes being grown and used for their distinctive Gruner Veltliner wines than in the year before. Possibly the European country which had the finest 2011, though, was Portugal, with wineries in the Douro region claiming this year to be one of the best in decades for the production of Port wine, and the bright, young Vinho Verdes wines.
In the New World, the Pacific Northwest saw some of the best weather of 2011, and Washington State and Oregon reportedly had a highly successful year, especially for the cultivation of high quality red wine grapes. Chile and Argentina had a relatively cool year, which certainly helped retain the character of many of their key grape varietals, and should make for some exciting drinking. South Africa had especially good weather for their white wine grape varietals, particularly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and many South African wineries are reporting 2011 as one of their best years in recent memory.
Varietal: Nebbiolo
The Nebbiolo grape varietal is widely understood to be the fruit responsible for Italy's finest aged wines. However, its popularity and reliability as a grape which gives out outstanding flavors and aromas has led it to be planted in many countries around the world, with much success. These purple grapes are distinguishable by the fact that they take on a milky dust as they begin to reach maturity, leading many to claim that this is the reason for their unusual name, which means 'fog' in Italian. Nebbiolo grapes produce wines which have a wide range of beautiful and fascinating flavors, the most common of which are rich, dark and complex, such as violet, truffle, tobacco and prunes. They are generally aged for many years to balance out their characteristics, as their natural tannin levels tend to be very high.
Region: Piedmont
The beautiful region of Piedmont in the north west of Italy is responsible for producing many of Europe's finest red wines. Famous appellations such as Barolo and Barbaresco are the envy of wine-makers all over the world, and attract plenty of tourism as a result of their traditional techniques and the stunning setting they lie in. The region has a similar summer climate to nearby French regions such as Bordeaux, but the rest of their year is considerably colder, and far drier as a result of the rain shadow cast by the Alps. The wineries which cover much of Piedmont have, over many generations, mastered how to make the most of the Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera grapes which thrive here, and nowadays are beginning to experimenting with many imported varietals to increase the region's range and meet international demand.
Country: Italy
Italy is recognised as being one of the finest wine producing countries in the world, and it isn't difficult to see why. With a vast amount of land across the country used primarily for vineyard cultivation and wine production, each region of Italy manages to produce a wide range of excellent quality wines, each representative of the region it is produced in. Any lover of Italian wines will be able to tell you of the variety the country produces, from the deliciously astringent and alpine-fresh wines of the northern borders, to the deliciously jammy and fruit-forward wines of the south and the Italian islands. Regions such as Barolo are frequently compared with Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, as their oak aged red wines have all the complexity and earthy, spicy excellence of some of the finest wines in the world, and the sparkling wines of Asti and elsewhere in Italy can easily challenge and often exceed the high standards put forward by Champagne. Thanks to excellent terrain and climatic conditions, Italy has long since proven itself a major player in the world of wines, and long may this dedication to quality and excellence continue.