I’ve long been a fan of Conterno Fantino, especially their Barbera, for me it represents the very best the variety and is always a superb value. The 2018 harvest in Piemonte was great, so I had my eye open to grab some. With a cool start to the year and good hot weather through harvest producers saw good volume of high quality fruit, and Conterno Fantino absolutely knocked it out of the park with their Barbera.

This 93 point score from the Wine Advocate is the highest rating ever for this wine. In fact, of the 100 Barberas reviewed by Wine Advocate so far from the 2018 vintage only three rated higher (Braida, Burlotto, and Sandrone) and those sell for $35-$60 a bottle!

Conterno Fantino Barbera d’Alba Vignota 2018

Sale $29.99

Buy three – pay $27.99 net  - Best price in NC!!

 93 pts Wine Advocate

The small family owned Conterno Fantino winery was established in 1982 by Claudio Conterno and Guido Fantino. They farm 27 hectares in total today and are leaders environmental sustainability, protecting biodiversity in their vineyards, utilizing solar and geothermal power sources, and using wetlands for water purification. Pretty cool stuff if you’re a environmental science nerd like me, but to the wine… This outstanding Barbera comes from a 5 hectare certified organic vineyard located in Monforte d’Alba, southern Barolo. The vineyard is planted in limestone and marl rich soils on a southeastern facing hillside at 1600+ ft in elevation. Here the 20+ year old vines enjoy cool nights even in the heat of the summer months, perfect conditions for producing balanced ripe berries with built-in acidity. After a meticulous selection process in both the vineyard and the winery only the very best fruit is used for this wine. Fermentation is all natural, spontaneous, using only native yeasts, preserving the integrity of the vineyard and harvest. Aged for 10 months in second-use French oak barriques, and aged for 2 months in bottle prior to release, this beauty is ready to roll! And that’s what I love about great Barbera, accessibility, freshness, versatility at the dinner table. A great Barbera gives you all that. This one does all that and more. With added depth, more spice, and layers of wild cherry, cassis, plum, and hints of rose petals that remind me of Barolo. Juicy soft round tannins and bright crisp acidity caress your taste buds. This is why I love Barbera and adore this wine. Sure you could age it for another 5 years, but its irresistible now. Save your Barolos that need several years of ageing and load up on this Barbera to drink in the meantime!

“The Conterno Fantino 2018 Barbera d'Alba Vignota shows beautiful depth and intensity thanks to its pure and brilliant fruit. This Barbera is absolutely direct and linear in terms of its aromatic delivery with sour cherry, cassis and tart cranberry. Fruit comes from a 5.4-hectare plot that sees a big range in elevation from 200 to 400 meters above sea level with limestone and marl. These conditions are especially conducive to affirming the natural acidity and freshness of this food-friendly wine. An ample 36,500 bottles were made, and you get delicious value here” – WA


Or reply. The wine will be available Friday after 1 pm, as ordered.