Giacomo Fenocchio Barolo DOCG 2021

This is no mere Barolo -- even the "entry level" from Giacomo Fenocchio is single parcel & small production. Deep ruby in red color with lively, bright highlights of purple flecks. An intense, ethereal bouquet, with red currants, cherry, and raspberry, with the licorice spice, weathered roses and tar, alongside soil and mineral notes accompanied by warm and spicy aromas. Bright and crunchy with medium body and fine tannins. Mineral and savory with hints of spices and bitter orange on the finish. Will improve over the next decade.

100% Nebbiolo from a small parcel just outside of the Bussia, in Monforte d’Alba. 20-year-old vines at 350 meters elevation in Helvetian soil with sand, clay and calcareous marl. Fermented with indigenous yeast over 40 days in stainless steel. Aged 30 months in Slavonian oak casks before refinement in the bottle. Approximately 600 cases produced.

The Giacomo Fenocchio estate can be traced back to 1840, when the family uprooted from the comune of Dogliani and resettled in Monforte d’Alba inside a nascent wine zone that would come to be demarcated as Barolo. Officially founding the winery in 1864, the family amassed holdings in the historic Bussia vineyard of Monforte. A century later, in 1964, Giacomo Fenocchio assumed control, expanding the winery’s holdings while consistently refining his craft each vintage. Today, fifth-generation winemaker Claudio Fenocchio carries on his late father’s legacy, bottling five estate Baroli that have reached cult status in recent years. The family now oversees 14 hectares under vine, having acquired highly sought-after parcels in the heralded MGAs of Villero, Cannubi, and Castellero in addition to their prized plots in Bussia Sottana.