How Good Is Today's Fontanafredda?

WINE TALK
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Seekng opinions on the quality level of Baroli being made by Fontanafredda in recent vintages. Thanks.

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I wouldnt seek them out… have only tried a few though, but they have seemed lean, austere, angular, acidic, and monolithic to me. Their base langhe is even worse. Maybe they will age gracefully, but i doubt it.

EDIT: my opinion is based only on the Barolo Normale, i havent tried any other bottling

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If you have to ask…

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How good is today’s Robert Mondavi?

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Fontanafredda and Borgogno are both toys acquired by Oscar Farinetti, an Alba lad who made a fortune with Trony (now UniEuro in places), the equivalent of Best Buy or Circuit City in Italy. He sold it to the Brits and made a second fortune with the Eataly empire and then bought the wineries, whose wines are pimped in the Eataly outlets. He also has some economic tie-in, possibly a controlling interest, in the Lurisia mineral water, drinks and spa company. I would not seek out the wines of either producer, although some will say otherwise for Borgogno. Its greatest claim to fame is its age and frequent library releases, which afford those on a tight budget the opportunity to taste old Barolo in generally good shape. However, being old and in good shape alone cannot make Barolo great. Eataly pimps birth-year Borgogno in Italy. Farinetti’s son, fresh out of oenology school, runs Borgogno. In both cases, we are talking what i italiani call “i vini brutti industriale”…ugly, industrial wines! The modern-day Mondavi comparison is apt…

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From my limited experience, the wines are passable, have basic varietal character, and lack major flaws, but I’ve never found one anywhere close to exciting.

You could have a glass or a bottle with dinner some time and have it be perfectly adequate, but it’s not something I’d ever go seek out.

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Re. old Borgogno, there are plenty of satisfied customers offering their ratings on CT. I’ve had excellent bottles from the 50s and early 60s.

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I had the 78 Fontafredda (Lazzarita I think) a couple of times, it was stellar.

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Bill,

I disagree on Borgogno. I tasted the recent releases with Farinetti at VinItaly-Slow Wine and they were very good. I would surely buy them. They have been relevant far longer than Fontanafredda. The mondavi comparison may be apt. But Mondavi generally makes good wine and on a much bigger scale than Borgogno. I don’t remember which wines I had off hand - report on my blog - but there was a Barolo or two and a Dolcetto and/or Barbera I think. Cheers!

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John, people can drink all of the Borgogno or Fontanafredda that they like, but it does not alter the fact that if you call the roll of great wines and wineries in the Piemonte, neither of those names is going to be on it. That is the only point that I am making for the benefit of those new to the Piemonte game. There is no wine made by either for which a better, comparably priced wine cannot be found, save maybe Borgogno’s library releases for highly sought-after old vintages. There, I am an old fart lucky enough to have accumulated old Giacosas, Conternos, Gajas and others, so I have the luxury of making comparisons with old Borgognos and finding them wanting. For others, Borgogno may offer their best shot at a taste of Piemontese history. Nigel had good experiences. i do not doubt that. I suggest only that if he had side-by-side with the Borgogno the same vintages of Baroli fashioned by the greats, he might find the Borgogno wanting. Also possible, of course, that he might find some of the bottles of the greats shot…

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I can agree with that Bill.

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Well,I’m going to slip in a few good words for Borgogno.Of contemporary Fontafredda,I have none.

I have had some marvelous old Borgogno,and I don’t exclude some of the Library releases,especially the 61s…and then there is the Liste.The 97 will do for a Barolo.

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I recently acquired a bottle of the 1958 Fontanafredda to “celebrate” my double-nickel birthday. I hope the comments are directed at more recent times than back in those days.

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They are.

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While Monsieur Klapp has posted his thoughts in his typical “no holds barred” style, it’s really hard to disagree with what he says (and this coming from a purchaser of Borgogno wines). My most recent example of the “nebbiolo hierarchy” was test-driving three 98’s - a Monprivato, a Borgogno Riserva and a Giacosa Falletto. The Borgogno was clearly bringing up the rear in that trio.

It’s a wine that can be enjoyed on it’s own perfectly well, but when you pair it up against a wine of “better standing”, it often comes up short. That said, I am a fan of their library releases, if, as Bill says, you want to try some nebbiolo history at a relatively modest cost.

I can recall old ('82 and prior) vintages of Fontanafredda that were very nice, albeit like Borgogno seldom revelatory, but I don’t think I’ve tried a wine made by them in the last 20 or so years.

As a couple people pointed out in the “Burgundy vs. Neb” thread, there are a lot of good nebbiolo winemakers releasing wine at a very competitive price point - hell, Produttori does it yearly from multiple sites for around $50 a bottle. Given the easy access to good to great nebbiolo, unless stuff like Fontanafredda is marked down to around $25-30 a bottle, why would anyone ever lift a bottle off the shelf?

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I’m sitting on a 1964 Borgogno Barolo Riserva. Will try it this fall.

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Which leads me to this thought: is there enough 1964 Nebbiolo in existence or recently consumed to sustain a decent thread about the vintage? I appear to be hoarding what I have left, but it includes some pretty rare juice, including the Giacosa SSRS and Barolo RS, G. Conterno Barolo and Monfortino and a Cappellano in mint condition that I scored here last week. I believe that Wasserman cautioned against EVER opening the 1964 Monfortino, for fear that it would still be closed! Years ago, I did see a couple of notes from disappointed drinkers, but a great many glowing reports (including my own for many bottles) of the 1964 G. Conterno normale. I was warned against being too hasty in popping the Cappellano. My sense is that the vintage makes 1978 look a little wimpy and early-maturng by comparison!

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I’m not sure why Bill Klapp framed his point so negatively. No one claimed that Borgogno is in “the roll of great wines and wineries in the Piemonte.” The library releases are also not priced like the very greatest wines of that era. The 1964 (and 1961) Borgogno Barolo Riserva bottles I’ve opened have been wonderful. It’s priced at a fraction of old Giacosa, Conterno, Gaja, and it’s apparently still available from reliable sources. IIRC we also opened a bottle of Fontanafredda 1964 Riserva Speciale several years ago which was quite nice and a pleasant surprise. I wish I owned (or could afford to buy) old Giacosa, Conterno, or Gaja. But even if I did, I hope I’d have the sense to not open side-by-side with an old Borgogno just so that I could knock it down a peg. (I’ll make an exception if you join me for dinner and offer to bring the not-yet-ready Monfortino. [cheers.gif] )

As an aside, I recently had a fantastic Morot 1985 Beaune Bressandes. Definitely not in the roll of great wines of Burgundy. However, maybe my favorite wine of the summer. I’ll bet it would’ve sucked compared to a 1985 La Tache. [snort.gif]

Regards,
Peter

PS FWIW, I’ve stayed away from later vintages of both Fontanafredda and Borgogno due to bad 1971 experience and bad rep blush

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Absolutely there is…and don’t be afraid to open a 64 Cappellano.
I’ve had 2 in the past 3 years and they have been superb…i.e. if you like Cappellano…

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