Barolo di Serralunga d'Alba DOCG, Fontanafredda

Full-bodied, velvety and intense, this Barolo is heady with vanilla, dried roses and woodland undergrowth.

Vineyard: This Barolo is named after the village where the vineyards are located - part of which are owned by the company, while the others are of suppliers who traditionally sell their entire grape production to Fontanafredda. With an average production of 45hl per hectare the vineyard features on the medium to upper slopes with south-south-west exposures. Plantings occur on soils of Miocene-Helevatian origin with a content of limestone and grey marl alternating with sand.
Vinification: In the cellar the fermentation process is traditional, 7-10 days in stainless steel vats with a floating cap at a controlled temperature (30º-31ºC). The must then stays on the skins for a further 15 days to optimise the extraction of the polyphenolic substances and help start the subsequent malolactic fermentation. A long stay in large oak casks (70%) and barriques (30%) precedes bottling, and is followed by a further period of maturation which depends on the vintage, though it never lasts less than 6 months.

Ideal with big red meat dishes and medium mature cheeses, try a wild boar and mushroom risotto for example.