A & G Fantino, Cascina Dardi Riserva Barolo 2016

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

Fermented for 30 to 35 days in stainless steel tank. Aged in large oak barrels for 5 years. Aged in bottle for 12 months before release.

About A&G Fantino

What a thrill it is to taste these wines from brothers Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino. The Fantinos work out of a tiny cellar in Monforte’s old, historic center. Alessandro Fantino spent twenty years working alongside Bartolo Mascarello, where he made the wines and managed the vineyards. In 1998, as Maria-Theresa Mascarello was becoming increasingly involved in the family business, Alessandro Fantino returned to his own estate…I am often asked who the up and coming producers are in Barolo. Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino are among them.

Antonio Galloni, Vinous

For those of you who don’t know Bartolo-Mascarello, you should know that hard-core lover’s of Nebbiolo have been known to offer their first born for a few bottles of their wine. Drinking a vertical of Bartolo-Mascarello has been one of the highlights of my wine life!

Alessandro left Bartolo-Mascarello in 1997 taking the reigns at the 8ha A & G Fantino with his brother.

Check out the Wine Bite Mag about Bartolo Mascarello for a little bit of insight into just how immersed in wine these guys are!

Brothers, Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino, run this family estate in Monforte d’Alba. They own 8 hectares in the heart of the historic Bussia cru north of Monforte, one of Barolo’s most famous areas for producing wines of great longevity and finesse.

The Fantino vineyards are concentrated exclusively in the ‘Dardi’ section of Bussia, a hillside with perfect southeastern exposure in the geographic center of Bussia. This gives them their ‘Cascina Dardi’ brand name on the label of their Barbera and Barolos (for those already familiar with these wines, they were formerly labeled as Vigna dei Dardi, before the brotheres registered the Cascina Dardi trademark).

There cellar is perhaps the smallest in all of Monforte. Though generally regarded as one of the most powerful and tannic villages for Barolo due to its high sandstone content, Monforte’s northern side and its Bussia Cru has an elegance that has always captivated.

The A&G Fantino wines are loaded with personality, they have an elegance and finesse about them, with incredible supple tannins. So much intrigue and yumminess.

In the Vineyard

The Fantinos own some of the oldest vines in the Barolo zone. Planted in 1946 and 1947 and pruned in an old style that is very labor intensive, they produce grapes that would be the envy of any Barolista.

In addition to the fastidious care Alessandro and Gian Natale give in the vineyard, the fruit is all hand-harvested and sorted at the winery prior to vinification.

In the Winery

All the wines are fermented using native yeasts for longer periods ranging from 18-35 days depending on the wine and season. The majority of wines in open wood casks, before being matured in large Slavonian oak barrels that range in age from 1 to 15 years old.

Where in the World is A&G Fantino?

A&G Fantino is located in Monforte d’Alba, in the heart of the historic Bussia cru north of Monforte, one of Barolo’s most famous areas.

This 3D flyover is Epic covering each of the communes you can see just how varied and extreme the aspect of each vineyard is and how in the space of a few metres just how dramatically the change.

Soil formation in the Barolo production area by Pierre le Hong.