The Fantino Family
by Tom Wolf
Alessandro Fantino spent two decades working at one of Barolo’s best-known aziende before teaming up with his brother Gian Natale to produce a lineup of wines that bear the family name. But while this Fantino operation is small and modest in terms of manpower and marketing reach, the brothers’ wines are grand. They represent the pinnacle of Barolo from the slice of the region called Bussia (boo-SEE-uh), just north of Monforte d’Alba. Their Nebbiolo vines are planted exclusively in this cru, in a section called “Dardi,” a hillside with perfect southern and southeastern exposure in the geographic center of Bussia. These wines offer textbook, traditional Piemontese pleasure.