Conterno Fantino, Bicco Bastia, 2022

Black Cherry, Violet, Almond

Piedmont / Red / Dolcetto / Organic

The Bricco Bastia vineyard is certified-organic and the grapes are hand-harvested and carefully sorted. The fruit is destemmed and undergoes a short maceration with alcoholic fermentation in stainless-steel (horizontal) fermenters for around 6–8 days, after which malolactic fermentation is usually completed. The wine is aged exclusively in stainless-steel tanks for c. 6–9 months and is generally bottled after light filtration; it contains sulphites. Bright, floral and fruit-driven, Conterno Fantino’s Dolcetto is approachable and deeply rooted in its Langhe site. 

Notes on the producer

Conterno Fantino was founded in 1982 by Claudio Conterno and Guido Fantino and is based on the hills above Monforte d’Alba. The estate farms vineyards in the Monforte area (including the Bricco Bastia parcel), combines careful vineyard work with precise cellar techniques and remains a family-run operation with the next generation now involved. The winery built a modern, high-site cellar in the 1990s and produces a range of Langhe and Barolo wines, concentrating on site expression and technical refinement; some of their vineyards are certified organic and annual production is in the low hundreds of thousands of bottles. Their Dolcetto from Bricco Bastia is a classic, food-friendly expression from limestone-rich soils and high elevation.