When you’re born nearly fifty-eight years ago in Castiglione Falletto, one of the eleven towns where Nebbiolo grapes are transformed into Barolo, life might seem unlikely to throw you too many hard challenges. Yet Mario Fontana, whose ancestors are prominently cited in the historical archives of Castiglione Falletto from the 1600s and 1700s as mayors or local tax collectors, hasn’t had an easy path.
The Fontana Family and Mario’s rebellion
Historical records show that by the mid-17th century, the Fontanas already owned 5 hectares of vineyards in Castiglione Falletto. With the political upheavals of the Napoleonic era, the Fontanas, who had always been active in the socio-political life of the town, had to relocate to the countryside near the border with Monforte d’Alba, in the Mariondino area. In the latter half of the 19th century, two Fontana brothers divided the estate: the elder kept the historic Mariondino farmhouse (Cascina Fontana), while the younger held on to most of the vineyards and moved further down to Cascina Fontanin, which would become the childhood home of our Winemaker of the Year, Mario Fontana, over a century later. Being born among the vineyard rows and following his grandfather Saverio through the vines as a child sparked Mario’s passion for working the land, and he knew he wanted to be a winemaker, leaving school at 17 to pursue it.
The Grandfather and his unconventional Grandson
Not everything would be easy: in the early 1980s, the Langhe had not yet seen the prosperity it has today. Additionally, young Mario clashed with his father Ettore, whose approach to wine was primarily commercial. Understanding his grandson’s independent spirit, Saverio purchased Cascina Fontana in 1990, which had remained with the other branch of the family, and left it to Mario before he passed. Not long after, Mario left the family business to focus with his own family on the 2 hectares of vineyards at *Cascina Fontana* (in Villero and Mariondino).
The 1995 harvest, vinified in a newly set-up cellar in Perno, was sold in bulk to generate funds for the cellar and its equipment for the following year. Fortunately, many customers who didn’t agree with the new direction of his father’s estate—and that of many other Langhe producers—returned to Mario’s wines, which retained a decisively more traditional style. The initial few bottles went entirely abroad. Since then, with the help of many friends, the vineyards have expanded: 3 hectares were added in Sinio, followed by 7,000 square meters of the Gallinotto vineyard in the Annunziata area of La Morra, Giachini sub-zone, from his wife Luisa. Today, the estate spans around 7 hectares of vineyards. The very elegant and authentic style of the estate’s wines has made Cascina Fontana an unmissable Barolo reference. Mario’s artisanal philosophy is to maintain the right finesse in his wine, intervening as little as possible in both vineyard and cellar, where there are no refrigerated tanks.
A Barolo of wonderful finesse
The 2019 version of the Barolo from the municipality of Castiglione Falletto is marvellous at every stage of tasting. It displays a delicate ruby colour with garnet tones of beautiful luminosity. The nose offers a mix of youthful aromas (abundant, clear notes of raspberry and small red fruits) and character, marked by complex hints of tobacco, liquorice, and fresh flowers (violet). On the palate, it fully expresses the magic of Castiglione, where power is perfectly balanced with the elegance of the tannins to deliver a wine of class and harmony.
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