NV Barolo Vertical (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 – ex Rino Fontana)

2011 Barolo The 2011 Barolo from Cascina Fontana is a pleasant, mid-weight wine, but the flavors are dried out, while the wine lacks freshness, structure and depth. Both bottles I tasted were quite forward, even within the context of the year. 86Pts Antonio Galloni 2012 Barolo Cascina Fontana's 2012 Barolo shows the more delicate side of the vintage. Crushed flowers, sweet tobacco and dried cherries give the wine its lifted, perfumed personality. The 2012 is a rare Fontana Barolo that can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring, as the tannins are relatively soft by Fontana's standards. The wine's mid-weight structure and forward aromatics suggest the 2012 is best enjoyed sooner rather than later. 88Pts Antonio Galloni 2013 Barolo Mario Fontana's 2013 Barolo is quite a bit more imposing than the Castiglione Falletto bottling. Dark cherry, plum, smoke, licorice, menthol and melted road tar fill out the wine's super-classic, mid-weight frame. The 2013 has more fruit and better balance, along with less austerity, than most other recent vintages have shown. And that, is of course, great news. Powerful, deep and muscular, the 2013 Barolo is a super-classic, old-school Barolo loaded with personality. The 2013 is a blend of fruit from Villero, Mariondino (both in Castiglione Falletto) and Giachini (in La Morra). 91Pts Antonio Galloni 2014 Barolo Cascina Fontana's 2014 Barolo is a very pretty, gracious wine. Medium in body, lithe and aromatically expressive, the 2014 Barolo is quite representative of the year in its quiet personality. Hints of cedar, sweet pipe tobacco, mint and dried flowers are all nicely lifted in an understated Barolo that will drink well with minimal cellaring. This is a solid showing in a challenging year from Mario Fontana, one of Barolo's most intriguing emerging growers. 89Pts Antonio Galloni 2015 Barolo The 2015 Barolo from Cascina Fontana is an attractive wine, but I would prefer to drink it over the next handful of years, maximum, because of its modest structure and forward profile. Dried cherry, worn-in leather, tobacco, cedar and spice, along with resolved tannins, are signatures of a wine that is mature, or very close to it. There is enough depth and resonance to support a few years in the cellar, but not much more. 88Pts Antonio Galloni 2016 Barolo Not yet scored 2017 Barolo Not yet scored 2018 Barolo The 2018 Barolo is exquisite. Macerated cherry, chinato spice, tobacco and leather are some of the notes that grace this aromatically beguiling, perfumed Barolo, Silky tannins lend further nuance. The 2018 is one of the finer wines | have tasted here. It offers notable freshness for the year and fine overall balance. I loved it. 93Pts Antonio Galloni