I first fell in love with this family operation, now well over a decade ago, while visiting the Fantinos’ sleek winery perched high above the town of Monforte d’Alba for a group tasting event.  Conterno-Fantino were part of the Langa-In group of progressive, forward-looking growers and producers that had banded together to promote their inspired vision of organic farming, artisanal production methods and protecting local family traditions to the world.  It was at this small tasting, which also included the likes of the late Domenico Clerico, Chiara Boschis, Giorgio Rivetti and others, where I first had the chance to sit down with winemaker (and striker on the Barolo Boys football team!) Fabio Fantino and his sister Elisa to taste through their production of amazing Barolos, all coming from the famed Ginestra cru of Monforte.  As a group, these wines showed both the power and breed of this very special vineyard with great energy and great style.  They were very, very good, and as Elisa vowed, only getting better.  Fast forward to the spring of 2022 when I had another chance to sit down with Elisa at the cantina and, true to her word, the entire lineup had moved to a whole other level- shockingly so!  It took a while, but Fabio has truly found his stride in the Conterno-Fantino cellar- gradually scaling back on the French oak and lessening extraction, all the better to focus on the wonderful purity of the fruit they work with.  The 2020s  are truly brilliant, in a style that melds beautifully with this sort of classic- as opposed to hot- harvest.  A lot of this is, of course, because the property itself represents one of the best exposures in the entire Barolo region and, with certified organically-farmed vines dating from as far back as 1971, the raw material is second to none. The family produces three different Barolo bottlings from Ginestra and the ‘Sori’ or ‘dead-south’ exposure represents their flagship, really, I think, their best foot forward.  Ginestra, as a whole, is probably the consummate Monforte vineyard, with Barolo’s southeastern ancient, almost infertile soils underlying the younger soils that came from the other side of the valley. This incredible heterogeneity lends impressive structure and complexity to the wines from this vineyard and, if you’ve ever had an old Barolo Ginestra from the likes of Elio Grasso, Clerico or Paolo Conterno, you know how remarkable they can be and how effortlessly they can age.  While this effort from Conterno-Fantino has all the power one expects from the site, there is a level of polish and elegance one rarely sees from Ginestra- an almost Burgundian sense of understatement where the cedar, dry earth, cinnamon and anise flavors reveal themselves with rather more restraint and understatement.   They form a background to fruit that just pops out from the frame.  With the frame of a gymnast, it’s built for both power and grace. ‘Ravishing’ was just one of my descriptors!  And it’s a wonderful drink even now! But, true to its Ginestra roots, we’re betting the 2020 Conterno-Fantino Barolo Vigna Sori Ginestra is going to be a very long term proposition indeed!  Very highly recommended and one of the consummate 2020s! 

• As a side note, the Fantino family, along with several other members of the original Langa-In, are huge proponents of preserving the traditions of the area and have invested incredible sums of money and time in the restoration of the Castelmagno cheese production area in the mountains southwest of Torino.  Elisa Fantino is up there manning the refugio inn at the incredible Des Martins cheese-production facility most weekends during the spring and summer and if your schedule ever allows it, a trip up the mountain is an incredible window into the hard, unforgiving past of Piemonte, a far cry from the prosperity it now enjoys. 

 
Vinous: The 2020 Barolo Ginestra Vigna Sori Ginestra marries finesse with power, as can happen with the best sites here. Crushed flowers, orange peel, spice, mint, white pepper and tobacco lend notable aromatic presence.  The 2020 starts easy, then explodes through the mid-palate and finish, showing notable textural depth and tons of finesse.  96 points
James Suckling: Generous oak spices are in great harmony with the rich fruits and agile structure of this classic, memorable Barolo. Enticing cedar, cinnamon, iodine and sour cherry aromas meld with warm red cherries, cranberries and chalky mineral notes on an appropriately tannic texture. Best from 2030. 97 points
Robert Parker: The Conterno Fantino 2020 Barolo Ginestra Vigna Sorì Ginestra has a note of perfumed oak spice, pine cone, licorice root, Pastis, root beer, plump cherry fruit, baked ripeness and wild mint to close. This is a generous, complex and well-structured Barolo. The oak imprint is especially strong at this young stage, and the wine needs more time in bottle. Production is 11,800 bottles. 95 points