Fontanafredda
GAVI DEL COMUNE DI GAVI DOCG (White Wine)
Piedmont, Italy
90 points - James Suckling
Since 1878, the Fontanafredda Estate & Winery, located in the heart of Piedmont’s Langhe region, has been a benchmark producer of Barolo and Barbera, crafting wines that deftly balance deep aromas and concentration of fruit with elegance.
An expression of a territory, Gavi del Comune di Gavi is a white wine made from the Cortese grape and is characterised by the intensity of aoreal aromas, minerality and excellent sapidity. A wine that lasts over time, acquiring balance and strength of flavour. The 2021 Gavi del Comune di Gavi is a straw-yellow with greenish highlights in the glass. The ample nose offers an intense bouquet featuring acacia flowers, vanilla, lemon, lily of the valley and bitter apples. Its nicely dry, full, and sapid.
The history of Fontanafredda began in 1858 after the unification of Italy, when the country’s first king, Vittorio Emanuele II, purchased the estate in Piedmont’s Langhe region. Here he started producing wine from native varietals - Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo - which later developed into a commercial business under the direction of the King’s son, Count Mirafiori. Fontanafredda released their first Nebbiolo labeled as Barolo with the 1878 vintage. The 250-acre Fontanafredda Barolo cru property in Serralunga d’Alba is the single largest contiguous wine estate in the Langhe. Additional properties in the communes of Barolo and Diano d’Alba bring the total acreage of estate-owned land to 305. The ability to source fruit from some of the Barolo region’s most prized vineyard sites provides Fontanafredda with grapes of the highest quality. Since 1999, Fontanafredda has implemented a series of initiatives to increase the quality of the wines and ensure greater sustainability measures.