Barolo Chinato 0.5L

Description

The history of Barolo Chinato dates back to the 19th century, when an infusion of cinchona and herbs began to be added to the typical Piedmontese wine to make it more durable. The recipe also allowed for the creation of a flavored drink with medicinal properties. Today, the Fontanafredda winery offers a refined version, strictly following a long tradition from the Langhe: to the prized Nebbiolo grapes, it adds the aroma of cinchona calissaia and an exclusive blend of spices and herbs. The vineyards, trained using the Guyot method and located in Alba, Piedmont, are rooted in fertile soils rich in marl and limestone. Grown in a hilly area, at around 400 m above sea level, the grapes enjoy continuous exposure to the sun and are harvested in October. After harvesting, the grapes are fermented in large steel vats for about 10 days, after which the must and skins are left to rest together to intensify the aroma, flavor, and color of the wine. The aromatic infusion is prepared separately: extracts of cinchona, herbs, and spices such as gentian, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves are macerated in alcohol for 90 days. After aging for 6 months in oak barrels, the infusion is added to the wine. To complete the recipe for the Barolo Chinato DOCG red wine, sugar and alcohol are then added. The process continues with a further 60 days of aging in the bottle, and the wine is ready for release.

Details

Perfume

On the nose, the aroma is of great intensity, complex.

Taste

The prevalence of cinchona calissaja is strong, revealing clear hints of cinnamon and cloves (also very present on the palate), nutmeg and herbs.

Serve at:

18 - 20 °C.

Longevity:

Over 25 years

Decanting time:

1 hour

Producer

Producer

Fontanafredda

From this winery

• Start up year: 1878
• Oenologist: Giorgio Lavagna
• Bottles produced: 7.000.000
• Hectares: 120

Fontanafredda is located in the Langhe (Piedmont), in the heart of Barolo production, in Serralunga d'Alba.

Like all beautiful things, Fontanafredda originates from a love story between the first King of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, and Rosa Vercellana.
Producers of Barolo and sumptuous wines of the Langhe, it was the scene of many firsts: they were the first Barolo to go overseas, the first to produce the first Classic Method in 1959, which was to be the forerunner of Alta Langa.

The founding principle of the winery is the concept of community.

Since 2018, Fontanafredda has been cultivating 120 organically certified hectares that are the setting for Italy's first Storytelling Village ('Villaggio Narrante'), which is still home to 12 families of workers who make the village an authentic village, alive and productive.

Fontanafredda is also hospitality, a meeting place where everyone is welcome thanks to its 4-star hospitality.

Today, the company preserves intact the testimonies of its noble past - the hunting lodge, the village, the extensive cellars, the vineyards - but continues to renew itself and experiment, perfecting what nature and history have handed down. For this reason, in the Langhe, where vines and wine bind generations to each other and shape the landscape, Fontanafredda is an essential reference point. The expression of a wine culture that comes from the earth, from the vineyard, and is refined through the work and creativity of people.

In 2021, the Alta Langa DOCG Contessa Rosa Rosé 2014 was named 'Best Sparkling Wine in the World' according to Tastingbook 2021.

In 2022 the BAROLO SERRALUNGA 2018 entered the TOP100 of WINE SPECTATOR in 78th place. Read more

Piedmont

Technical Sheet

Name	Fontanafredda Barolo Chinato 0.5L
Type	Red still
Denomination	Barolo DOCG
Size	0,50 l
Alcohol content	16.5% by volume
Grape varieties	100% Nebbiolo
Country	Italy
Region	Piedmont
Vendor	Fontanafredda
Origin	Area of origin of Barolo, comprising the territory of eleven communes to the west of Alba.
Climate	Medium and high hillside vineyards (300-400 m a.s.l.) of various exposures (excluding north).
Soil composition	Vineyards planted on soils of Miocene-Helvetian and Tortonian origin, characteristically rich in limestone and marl.
Cultivation system	Guyot
Plants per hectare	4.500 vines/ha
Harvest	I-II ten days of October.
Wine making	Vinification: fermentation is traditional, carried out in steel vats with floating cap, lasting 8 2 days on average at a controlled temperature (30-31°C) and with frequent pumping over. This is followed by soaking of the must on the skins for a few days to optimise the extraction of polyphenolic substances and to facilitate the start of the subsequent malolactic fermentation. Aromatisation: tradition - dating back to the end of the 19th century - called for an alcoholic infusion of herbs and spices with a base of cinchona calissaja to be added to Barolo wine, to increase its capacity to withstand the passage of time and to offer it as a medicinal drink. More than twenty herbs and cinchona were put together to macerate in alcohol, divided into three groups according to the aroma to be extracted.
Aging	After about three months of maceration, the infusion is blended and matured for six months in oak barrels to obtain the right harmonisation. After this period, the extracts are added to the wine, also combining alcohol and sugar. After a couple of months, the wine is ready for bottling. Barolo Chinato is an ideal speciality to win over the palate of an increasingly demanding and refined consumer.
Allergens	Contains sulphites