Barolo Cru, DOCG, 1998, Vigna La Rosa, Fontanafredda Winery, 13.5%, 0.75l

Product detailed description

 The color of the wine is ruby ​​red with garnet reflections. The aroma is clean, intense, with hints of vanilla, spices, dried rose. The taste is dry, full, velvety, harmonious and long-lasting. Perfect for pairing with  dishes based on red meat, cheese. Fermentation takes place according to the traditional method, at a controlled temperature of 30-31°C in stainless steel tanks for 15 days, with frequent pumping of the tank to optimize the release of polyphenols into the wine. Maturation is 36 months in barrel and one year in bottle. Of that one year is wine  in Allier barrique barrels and the following years in larger barrels with a volume of 2,000 - 3,000 liters. The wine is then bottled for further aging in the bottle for another 12 months.  

BAROLO WINE: This is by definition a great Italian wine made exclusively from the Nebbiolo grape. Barolo wine comes from a village in the eponymous village of Langa, a few kilometers south of Alba. It is now produced in eleven "communes" or village territories, located in the picturesque hills of Langa shaped by centuries of vine cultivation and dominated by medieval castles - including Barolo itself. Thanks to the agricultural genius of Count Camillo Benso di Cavour (who was also Italy's first Prime Minister) and the intuition of Giulia Colbert Falletti, the last Marquis of Barolo, Barolo wine began to be produced around the middle of the 19th century. This wine, particularly rich and harmonious, has become the best ambassador of the Savoy Family, representing Piedmont at all the royal courts in Europe. Along with Barbaresco, Barolo saw the rise of many associations in its favor during the 20th century, starting with "Pro-Barolo" and culminating in the establishment of the Consorcio and the granting of DOC  and then DOCG status and finally, in 2005, the control plan for certification required by the European Union. These captivating qualities led the nobility of the 19th century to give it the title “king of wines and wine of kings”.

Barolo must be left  for at least three years, one and a half of which must be in oak barrels. If the maturation is extended for five years, the wine acquires the title "Riserva". The vineyards for the Barolo DOCG area are  La Morra, Monforte, Serralunga d'Alba, Castiglione Falletto, Novello, Grinzane Cavour. Verduno, Diano d'Alba, Cherasco and Roddi. Color  the wine is full and intense garnet red and the aromas are fruity and spicy. Red berries, liquered cherries and jam are present in the nose and mouth, along with roses, faded violets, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, vanilla and occasionally licorice, cocoa, tobacco and leather. One of the last and most important Barolo researches was the gathering of the "cru list" or other geographical definitions and their inclusion in the disciplinary regulations in 2010.

What was 1998 like?  The 1998 vintage: another vintage of the century?
Anyone who thought that the extraordinary climatic events of 1997 were unrepeatable were immediately heard.
The 1998 vintage repeated the climatic trend already encountered in 1997, and added something else and its own: the heat was still emphasized by intensity and duration and brought a summer that was so fervent even on the hills of Langhe and Roero.  Grape ripeness controls, activated for the eleventh year by the Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe and Roero Consortium, together with a number of other entities active in the sector, provide the first technical data on the quality of this new harvest event. From a qualitative point of view, all the grapes - white and blue, early and late - are beautiful and healthy. In terms of their richness in sugar content, the accumulations generally appear a little lower than in 1997, probably because the plants were not able to take proportional advantage of all the heat and dryness experienced in the summer. This situation is also evaluated positively because it can lead to a better condition of balance in the wines. The acidity content usually reproduces the levels of 1997, with good stability thanks to the composition of the acidic picture, with a clear prevalence of tartaric acid and the almost complete absence of malic acid, which is much more unstable. The tests carried out with regard to polyphenolic ripening also show optimal situations similar to those already found in 1997. Taking into account the overall very favorable picture, if we want to deepen the analysis further, we find that the ripening situation is expected to be better in the mid-late and late vineyards (Barbera and Nebbiolo), while in the early ones (Arneis , Favorita, Chardonnay, Dolcetto) which responded less effectively to the objective exceptional conditions of this year's climate trend. As a result, we expect ready-to-drink white and red wines of excellent quality with a good ability to withstand time, but on the other hand, it seems justified to hope for medium-long and long-maturing red wines with great structures and with a very prestigious quality, also able to cover the image of 1997. In this situation, which is still developing and open to further development, two specific elements must be noted: on the one hand, the quantitative level of the production of 1998. Unlike the summer forecasts that seemed more optimistic, the  production of 1998 in Langa and Roero is lower than in 1997. The average reduction compared to the previous year can be marked at 10%. The quantitative reduction was also manifested due to the  effect of dry weather also in the result of the yield from grapes / wines, which also tends to be lower than in 1997. 
The prestigious vintages 1995, 1996 and 1997 and 1998  they are at the same high level.

 Why do we like it?

How to rediscover the pleasure of time? There are few things in the world that can give it to us, and wine is one of them. This time, however, manufacturers who can afford it are needed. For more than sixty years, Fontanafredda  he collects great vintages of different varieties in his drawers and thinks that the right moment will come tomorrow, the moment when these bottles will have something to say to us not only with their quality, but also with their sense of ethics. And today this ethic says to slow down, be less superficial and value time. Fontanafredda believes that these historic Thanks  reserves will help to reflect and enjoy.

 Manufacturer

Like all beautiful things, Fontanafredda was born from the love story of the first king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II. and Rosa Vercellana. In 1858, the Fontanafredda estate was bought by Vittorio Emanuele II. as a gift for the "beautiful" Rosina, the woman he loved and subsequently registered in the name of his children Maria Vittorio and Emanuele Alberto, Count of Mirafiore, Fontanfredda.  In 1866, the king buys the first vineyard in Barolo, from which the name "Tenimenti di Barolo in Fontanafredda" was born, which appears on the first bottles.  In 1870, the first vinification begins. Wine production begins in the Fontanfredda cellars, although the mention of Fontanafredda Barolo dates back to 1867. In 1878, Count Emanuele Alberto founded a winery with more than 300ha  cultivated directly with specialized workers. It was very unique at the time. In 1886, the first Barolo goes overseas. In 1887, the first concrete tanks in Europe are installed in the Fontanafredda cellars. In 1894, Emanuele Alberto di Mirafiore, the man who turned Barolo into a myth, dies. It was he who made Fontanafreddo a real village with a church and a school. His young second son Gastone takes over.  In 1918, under the leadership of the director of Cav. Mollo, the company has reached its maximum commercial and productive expansion, with 200 employees and more than 40 families living on the Fontanafredda property. In 1931  is phylloxera. Due to the devastation caused by blight, a serious vine disease, and the Great Depression that arrived from the US, the land and cellar were sold for  1,050,500 lira of the Tuscan bank Mote dei Paschi di Siena, which was inspired for the new name of the company by the toponym of the area : Tenimenti  di Barolo and Fontanafredda.  Meanwhile, the Casa E. di Mirafiore brand is sold to the Piedmontese  family  Gancia for the amount of 100,000 lire.  In the post-war years 1950 - 1959, Fontanfredda created an image of quality and a strong brand thanks to the work of Cavalier Giuseppe Bressan.  In 1964, the first certified Cru from the La Rosa vineyard begins to be produced. In August 1988, the first Barolo Serralunga d'Alba begins to be produced.  In 2006, Fontanafredda becomes an Olympic wine. On the occasion of the XX Winter Olympic Games in Turin. It is in recent years that the process of raising awareness of sustainability has begun. In 2008 there is a big change. Oscar Farinetti and Luca Baffigo arrive, who buy the manor, and after 77 years, Fontanfredda is once again in the hands of Piedmont.  In 2012 Barolo La Rosa 2008  included in the list of the 100 best wines in the world by Wine Spectator.  In 2015, the process of conversion to organic farming begins on all vineyards. In 2017, Fontanafredda becomes "European Winery of the Year" for the prestigious American magazine Wine Enthusiast and inaugurates "Villaggio Narrante". In 2018, for the 160th birthday, the first certified harvest in organic quality. With 95 points from Wine Spectator ro Barolo Property 2013, the first year produced and 94 points Wine Enthusiast Editor´s Choice for Barolo Serralunga 2015. In 2020 a new renaissance, the script changes and the values ​​change to achieve the same result of rebirth. 2021 is the first sustainability and certification report. Equalitas, Vegan Product and History Brand certification is achieved.  In 2022, Barolo Serralunga d'Alba is included in the TOP100. In 2023, the 165th anniversary of its foundation will be celebrated. Sw with confidence in the present and boldly in the future. The winery is ranked among the TOP 100 premium brands of wines and spirits in the world, and Barolo Lazzarito La Delizioa 2019 enters the TOP 100 Wines 2023 Wine Enthusiast ranking. In 2024 Bosco Vigna, more than 150 specimens of forest and fruit plants planted among the Fontanafredda vineyards to promote biodiversity in the Langhe.