Skip to main content
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
Toggle Navigation Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant Your Cart

2005 Laboro Disubbidiente

A. & G. Fantino
Discount Eligible $65.00
SOLD OUT
Brothers Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino are no strangers to Barolo, boasting decades of combined experience growing and vinifying Nebbiolo from Piemonte's mystical hills. In 2005, a bureaucratic mix-up precluded the wine destined to be the Fantinos’ Barolo Riserva from receiving DOCG certification. In an act of rebellion, but also as a nod to the generations preceding them, they released it under a different name: Laboro Disubbidiente is a homage to the Barolo of yesteryear, produced using only ancient techniques. From fermentation in open-top wood vats to aging for five years in enormous old botti, the wine comes in contact only with used wood and is never manipulated by any modern technology. The fruit is sourced from the estate’s oldest vines, 60-plus year-old Nebbiolo in the south-facing Bussia cru.
    This red is a blast from the past, exuding epic depth and power. Its perfume is elegant yet assertive—earthy and spicy with a smokiness that conjures up morning fog burning off the hills of the Langhe and baked asphalt on a hot afternoon. Just entering its peak drinking window, this masterpiece still has much more to give and will continue to improve for decades. Barolo doesn’t get any more traditional than this. —Anthony Lynch

Laboro Disubbidiente:
 “Laboro”, an anagram from Barolo, pays homage the hard work the brothers put into making the wine. “Disubbidiente” means disobedient, referencing the brothers’ act of rebellion against the Barolo appellation authorities by releasing the wine on their own terms under a new name. The label was designed by Sergio Staino, an Italian comics artist and writer.


Technical Information
Wine Type: red
Vintage: 2005
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Nebbiolo
Appellation: Barolo
Country: Italy
Region: Piedmont
Producer: A. & G. Fantino
Winemaker: Alessandro & Gian Natale Fantino
Vineyard: 60 years
Soil: Sandy Clay
Aging: A declassified Riserva, aged in large, old, oak barrels for 5 years, aged in bottle for 12 months before release
Farming: Sustainable
Alcohol: 14%

More from this Producer or Region

About The Region

Piedmont

map of Piedmont

Kermit’s love affair with the great reds of Piemonte dates back to the early days of his career: the very first container he imported from Italy, in fact, featured legendary 1971 and 1974 Barolos from Vietti and Aldo Conterno. Regular visits since then have seen our portfolio grow to now twelve Piemontesi estates, with a strong focus on the rolling hills of the Langhe.

Nebbiolo rules these majestic, vine-covered marl slopes, giving Italy’s most mystifyingly complex, nuanced, and age-worthy reds. When crafted via traditional production methods—long macerations and extensive aging in enormous oak botti—the powerful, yet incredibly refined Barolos and Barbarescos provide haunting aromatics of tar, raspberry, incense, tea, roses, and more. At times austere in their youth but well worth the wait, they pair beautifully with the hearty local cuisine starring veal in many forms, braised beef, pastas like tajarin and agnolotti, and of course, Alba’s famous white truffles.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, Piemonte’s climate is continental, with baking hot summers and cold winters. Nebbiolo is only part of the story here: juicy, fruity Barberas and Dolcettos represent the bread and butter throughout the region, and other native grapes like Freisa, Croatina, and the white Arneis are also noteworthy. Value abounds in the Monferrato, while Alto Piemonte also has its share of thrills to provide.

Every corner of Piemonte is rich with tradition, especially when wine is concerned. It’s no wonder we have been singing the region’s praises for over forty years.

More from Piedmont or Italy

Discount Eligible $21.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $18.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $23.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $26.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $85.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $15.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $12.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $79.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $59.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $76.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $193.00
AT CART MAX
Discount Eligible $172.00
AT CART MAX
Kermit inspecting wine barrels

For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.