From one of the smallest cellars in all of Monforte, Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino bottled their Vigne Vecchie part of the Cascina Dardi vineyard as a separate lot for the final time in 2013, and we are lucky to have just a handful of these outstanding bottles available in stock.

Their 2013 Barolo normale got 93 points (from 21-year-old vines), the Riserva received 95 (from 60-year-old vines), and we were fortunate to have the chance to taste this beauty just a few days ago. It was well structured, with a gorgeous nose of flowers, earth and red fruits, and had that wonderful dusty red fruits and notes of fall in a forest that makes Barolo so enticing. All this from the 65-plus year-old vines of the Cascina Dardi, planted in the late 40s.  It’s a classic vintage (96 points according to the Wine Spectator), and a wine from some of the oldest vines in all of the Barolo area. These bottles have just arrived and limited to stock on hand, and I think it's a must for your cellar.

Barolo Bussia Vigne Vecchie Cascina Dardi

$54.89/bottle (In Stock - Limited) Buy Now

2013 was the final vintage of the Vigne Vecchie Cascina Dardi

• 65-year-old vines

• Fermented for 25 to 30 days in stainless steel tank

• Aged in large, Slavonian oak barrels for 38 to 40 months after fermentation (2 years in large, older barrels, 1 year in 2- to 3-year-old barriques)
• After barrel aging, aged in bottle until domaine decides to release wine
• Less than 250 cases produced

Two brothers, Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino, run this family estate in Monforte d’Alba. Alessandro managed the vineyards and served as the enologist at Cantina Bartolo Mascarello for 20 years, from 1978 to 1997. Since 1998, he has dedicated himself to running his family estate alongside his brother full-time.

The brothers farm eight 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 holdings are concentrated exclusively in the “Dardi” section of Bussia, a hillside with perfect southern and southeastern exposure in the geographic center of Bussia. This gives them their “Cascina Dardi” brand name on the label of their Barbera and Baroli (for those already familiar with these wines, they were formerly labeled as Vigna dei Dardi, before the brothers registered the Cascina Dardi trademark).

Barolos from Bussia tend to have deep color and rich fruit and while they don’t lack the classic tannic structure of Nebbiolo from this part of the world, they are not nearly as hard as the Barolos from the southside of Monforte or from Serralunga. This fact does not preclude the Fantino Baroli from aging but makes them delightfully approachable relatively young. The Fantinos are also blessed with some of the oldest vines in the entire Barolo zone, thanks to the fastidious care given to them by Alessandro and Gian Natale. 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.