Conterno Fantino Barolo Sori Ginestra 2018
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spirits
Wine &
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Sori` Ginestra is Conterno Fantino’s flagship wine. The vineyard is located in the Ginestra district on one of the most important hills in Monforte, if not Barolo itself. It is the thoroughbred of Barolos, and fully reflects its terroir. Located 340 meters (1,115 feet) above sea level, it absolutely benefits from southern exposure, which affords the vines warm sunlight from morning to night. The soil is not sandy, but a bit more compact. The wines from this vineyard are bigger, with much more body, structure, and tannins. The older part of this vineyard was planted in 1971, giving the wine its unique elegance and complexity.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Ginestra is a large and beautiful growing site in Monforte d'Alba that gets the morning light and enjoys panoramic views facing the castle of Serralunga d'Alba. The Conterno Fantino 2018 Barolo Ginestra Vigna Sorì Ginestra is always one of my top picks from this beautiful corner of the appellation. This Barolo is ample and generous, yet it hits the palate with precision and focused sharpness. The bouquet offers wild berry, cassis, rose, menthol, earth and crushed aniseed. This is an impressive and age-worthy wine.
-
James Suckling
Super-round, rich and focused with plenty of bright berries, together with spicy and fresh, citrus-rind notes. There’s a silky underlay of loamy mineral that serves as a base for this full-bodied Barolo with fine-grained, well-poised tannins that carry the fruit and spice through the long, long finish. Creamy mineral aftertaste. Nothing overstated, just really intricate and well-defined. Great to taste now, but we will need to wait until at least 2025 for this to show its best.
-
Wine & Spirits
Flavors of black cherry and raspberry show good density and concentration, enough to absorb notes of vanilla, cedar and spice gained from aging in French oak barrels. Hints of lavender and menthol brighten the wine, and a pleasant aroma bitterness balance's the rich fruit and spice notes. Better in five years when those flavors have had time to integrate.
Other Vintages
2019-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spirits
Wine & -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.