Date of visit: September 22, 2021
A bit about the winery:
Cascina Fontana is a small 5 hectare estate located in the hamlet of Perno, not far from Monforte d’Alba. The winery is overseen by 6th generation winemaker, Mario Fontana, who’s committed to producing wine in, as Mario puts it, an “artisanal style”. “I learned winemaking from my grandfather Saverio, and I still do many things come una volta — as in the past, as my grandfather himself would have done. I pride myself above all on making genuine wines that are natural, true expressions of nostro territorio – our land and our culture.” says Mario, who oversees every step of the winemaking process, both in the vineyard and the cellar. Cascina Fontana’s vines are located in prime sites, most of which are in Castiglione Falletto, with a small amount in La Morra and in Sinio. All grapes are harvested by hand, and winemaking is conducted in a classical style with minimal intervention. The resulting wines are nothing short of spectacular, pure expressions of the grapes from which they’re made, and their respective terroir.
Below is a passage written by incredibly kind and talented Mario Fontana, taken from Cascina Fontana’s website. We believe this helps paint a picture of what type of winemaker Mario is, the role wine plays in his life, and the passion that he has for producing wine.
“My philosophy to winemaking is the same as my philosophy to life. I believe that good things come from hard work. We live closely in touch with the land and follow the rhythms of the seasons. We must be patient, try to do things well, and always look to improve. Everything needs to be kept in equilibrium, in balance. I seek this in the vines, in my wines, and in my life.
For me, Barolo is not just a wine. It is part of my culture and my identity – it defines who I am and where I come from. When I drink Barolo, I remember my grandfather. Indeed, Barolo seems to contain within it something of the spirit of the true man of Le Langhe. It has the same enduring forza – strength, dignità – dignity, and a character that is at once immensely hard, austere and honest.
My Barolo is like my grandfather, like those men from another age – the ones who never wanted anyone to know easily what they were thinking. This wine is just the same: it does not ever reveal itself easily or cheaply. You have to discover it, slowly and thoughtfully. The appreciation and discovery of Barolo is not something that should ever be fast: you must have time, patience and experience. But that is the way it is with all the best things in life, those things that are complex and have true depth of character and meaning. With Barolo, sometimes a single bottle is not enough. You feel that yes, you are getting close to understanding it, to unraveling some of its many layers. But then the wine is gone: you need to open another bottle! In such wines as this, will you find the greatest satisfaction. Like all the greatest wines in the world, Barolo always has something more to give; the sensations are always different. It is a wine that – non finisce mai – never finishes, never fails to surprise, a wine that brings the greatest pleasure. Little by little you will come to fall in love with Barolo, to become infatuated with it, and to understand and appreciate the special hardness and austerity and honesty that comes from the land from which it is born, my land: Le Langhe. This is my Barolo. This is my life.”
-Mario Fontana
How we met Mario Fontana:
Our second night in Langhe we had dinner at the famous Vinoteca Centro Storico in Serralunga d’Alba. The restaurant is known for having one of the most impressive wine lists in Langhe, and for serving some of the absolute best prosciutto in all of Italy. Owned by the affable Alessio, affectionately known as “Ciccio” by friends, whose great sense of humor and knowledge on all things wine is sure to make your visit a memorable one. It was here that we met Mario Fontana for the first time during our most recent trip to Langhe.
We began by ordering a plate which featured 3 different kinds of Prosciutto, and an order of Vitello Tonnato, both of which were delicious. Alessio recommended a bottle of 2016 Cascina Fontana Barolo, which paired perfectly with the appetizers, and the selection of bread, grissini, and focaccia. Before the next course arrived, we were joined by Mario Fontana himself, who sat down at the table directly next to ours. We were having such a great time, and were so focused on the amazing food and wine that we were completely oblivious to this. Alessio stopped by our table to ask us how we were enjoying everything, and we went on to tell him how fantastic the food and wine were. We thanked him repeatedly for recommending the wine, and described to him in detail about how much we loved every aspect of it. Alessio smirked, and suggested we tell the person who made the wine himself, as he’s sitting right next to us. We paused, turned to Mario, and we all laughed. This was the beginning of a great night, and a new friendship. We spoke much of the night over dinner, and shared glasses of 2018 Olek Bondonio Barbaresco Roncagliette, 2017 Trediberri Barolo, and Cappellano Barolo Chinato. At the end of the evening, Mario invited us to stop by and visit Cascina Fontana one day during our stay in Langhe so that we can see the winery first hand, and taste some more of his wines. We enthusiastically agreed, and parted ways for the night.
Our visit:
We arrived at Cascina Fontana’s estate in Perno on September 22, 2021, and were warmly welcomed by the always smiling, Mario Fontana. Mario showed us around their small, but extremely impressive estate, and we saw first hand where all the wines are vinified and aged. We then sat down at a long table with Mario, and began to taste Cascina Fontana’s delicious lineup of wines. Below are our tasting notes for the lineup of wines that we tasted with Mario during our visit. Following each note we included a link which directs you to a page dedicated to that particular wine on Cascina Fontana’s website. We feel that each page does a fantastic job at describing the significance of that wine, how it is best enjoyed, the winemaking process, as well as other interesting information which we enjoyed reading and feel is important to appreciate each wine to its fullest.
Our tasting notes:
2020 Dolcetto d’Alba: Aromas of black currant, blackberries, and blueberries lift from the glass, and carry over to the palette. Present, forward tannins are well integrated and are right at home alongside the fruit forward palette. A structured and serious Dolcetto, but still very easy drinking. Persistent finish. A fantastic expression of the grape, one of our personal favorites from this vintage. The below link provides additional information on the wine, and also describes a fun post-harvest tradition for consuming Dolcetto at Cascina Fontana, where Dolcetto is drawn directly from the vat just weeks after harvest. During this time the wine has only recently completed fermentation, and is “vivacious and with massive fruit, vivid and foaming, a special experience to mark an always special moment, the completion of our year’s labors.”
2019 Barbera d’Alba: Cascina Fontana’s Barbera is produced from grapes grown within the Barolo growing zone. After fermentation, the wine ages in both used barriques and cement vats, and will stay in bottle for a minimum of 6 months prior to release. Mario’s goal is to produce “a serious and full wine that can benefit and improve with age” says Mario. Aromas of red fruits, smoke, and a faint touch of espresso and vanilla. The palette delivers flavors of crunchy, juicy red fruit. Soaring acidity, yet very well balanced. Delicious, and approachable now, but according to Mario also has the ability to age for 20 or 30 years.
2020 Vino Rosso: As Mario was showing around the vinification and aging room, one bottle that we’d never seen before caught our eye, 2020 Vino Rosso. We asked Mario about the wine, he explained that it’s not exported, and is only distributed locally. The wine is made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes grown in La Morra and Castiglione Falletto. The wine has no added sulfites, which is the reason Mario has opted to not export the wine and offers it for local sale only, and the bottle features a wax seal to help preserve and protect the wine. Aromas of red fruits, forest floor, and earthy qualities on the nose. The fruit forward palette delivers flavors of raspberries, cherries and an explosion of strawberries. A very cool, interesting, and unique wine, that we like to describe as a Nebbiolo-like Beaujolais of sorts. An extremely creative, adventurous, and bold take on Nebbiolo; a grape typically characterized by firm, strong, powerful tannins and structure, that typically requires time and patience to appreciate. Mario has managed to create a 100% Nebbiolo wine that’s fresh, fruity, easy and ready to drink now. A testament to how unbelievably talented a winemaker Mario is, whose successfully crafted a wine which is almost the antithesis of Nebbiolo’s typical qualities, and yet it drinks deliciously. An eye opening experience for Nebbiolo lovers like ourselves, like nothing we’ve ever tasted.
2019 Langhe Nebbiolo: The majority of the Nebbiolo grapes for this wine are grown in the historic vineyard of Castello di Sinio, along with a small portion from the cru vigneto Il Pozzo in Castiglione Falletto. The Castello di Sinio vineyard has been in Mario’s family for more than 100 years, and Mario’s cousin Armando oversaw vineyard work here for decades until he was over 90 years old. Armando has passed his knowledge of this vineyard along to Mario. According to Mario, “Nebbiolo grapes which are selected for this wine are vinified for a much shorter period (two weeks) than those destined to become Barolo. This results in a wine that is fresher, if less complex, but no less harmonious and elegant, with a beautiful balance of tannin and acidity.” Gorgeous, fruit forward nose with intense lingering notes of strawberries and raspberries, which carry over to the palette along with some flavors of tart cherry skins. Strong, aggressive tannins that are very well integrated. Great structure, and although very approachable and enjoyable now, is definitely capable of lengthy aging, a quality that we happen to love on this quite serious Langhe Nebbiolo. Outstanding. An interesting and delicious juxtaposition following Vino Rosso.
2017 Barolo: Produced from grapes grown in the Villero (Villero MGA) and Valletti (Mariondino MGA) in Castiglione Falletto, and in Gallinotto (Giachini MGA) in La Morra. Grapes from each of the sites are harvested, destemmed, pressed and vinified separately, and then blended once fermentation is complete. Beautiful, classic, Nebbiolo aromas of roses and tar front and center, on this highly expressive nose. The palette is structured, with firm forward tannins, and has flavors of tart cherries and red fruit. Persistent finish. Delicious now, but is capable of lengthy aging.
2017 Barolo del Comune di Castiglione Falletto: This is Cascina Fontana’s flagship Barolo which they first began producing in 2013. The grapes from this wine come from a blend of different sites, but the majority of the grapes come from the legendary Villero MGA in Castiglione Falletto. “I dedicate this wine to all the Fontana family who for 6 generations have continued to believe in this territory, above all to my grandfather Saverio, my maestro in wine and in life.” says Mario. Aromas of tobacco, raisins, and baking spices on the nose. The palette is filled with flavors of tart cherries, red fruit, and leather. Firm, forward but well-integrated tannins, structured, and capable of lengthy aging. An outstanding Barolo.
Thank you
Thank you, Mario, for your hospitality, generosity, and for sharing your amazing wines with us. We absolutely loved all of your wines, and enjoyed learning about the history of Cascina Fontana, and what makes your wines so special. We look forward to visiting you again in the very near future. Grazie mille! A presto!
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