The wine of the month

​

Fontanabianca, Barbaresco, Serraboella, 2019

​

4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP

​

March 2023: Fontanabianca, Barbaresco, Serraboella, 2019 (35 EUR/34 USD in Sweden) red dry wine, Piedmont, Italy, 4,0 of 5,0 NJP (90 points of 100 points) (26-03-2023 by Robert Jonasson and Nenad Jelisic)

​

You know the feeling when you have been looking for something for a long time and you finally find it? That is exactly the feeling I got when I tasted the producer Fontanabianca's wine Barbaresco Serraboella 2019. Over the past few months, I (Robert Jonasson) have been on several tastings with a focus on Italian wines and tasted about 50 to 60 wines from the Nebbiolo grape from Piedmont. Most have been wines from the highly regarded wine appellations Barolo and Barbaresco. Many of these wines are of good quality and well-made but in far too many cases the wines lack fruit, others are too much aged in oak barrels or simply missing the little extra that makes the wine stands out from the crowd. When one gets a wine like Fontanabianca Barbaresco Serraboella 2019 in the glass and all the pieces fall into place, then it appears a wonderful feeling of elation and joy. When one finds the pearl; all the mediocre wines one has been tasted before are suddenly forgotten.

​

Fontanabianca Barbaresco Serraboella 2019 is a delightful wine despite its youth. In the aroma one will find brilliant elegant fruit with rosehip, cherry, violet, a little licorice, and a hint of sweet spiciness. Even in the flavour, the key words is elegant red fruit. Add sandy, smooth tannins, high acidity and a long aftertaste in a harmonious and well-balanced compote. It is wonderful to drink now, especially if it is decanted for a while, but can be aged for 5 to 10 years without any problems. Serve this Barbaresco at a temperature of 16 to 18°C in glasses with a large bowl, like a Burgundy glasses, to get the maximum aroma and flavour experience. A few suggestions for good dishes to eat with this wine are a creamy mushroom risotto generously topped with grated parmesan cheese or with, a simple, but luxurious, pasta with white truffle and creamy sauce or why not with elk roast with root vegetable gratin and chanterelle sauce.

​

Fontanabianca Barbaresco Serraboella 2019 is made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes from the vineyard Serraboella in Nieve, Barbaresco. The soil in Serraboella consists of clay and limestone. At the producer Fontanabianca, the quality is in focus, and the philosophy is that a quality wine should reflect the grape's growing place in aroma and flavour. That is why Fontanabianca does all vineyard works manually and with as few chemicals as possible. The grapes are hand-harvested and carefully sorted. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled steel tanks for 30 days. The wine is aged in large oak barrels for 15 months, in concrete tanks for 2 months and then it is bottled and aged for another 8 months before it is released in the market.