The Conterno Fantino Estate, located in Monforte d’Alba, Piedmont, was founded in 1982 by two long-time friends: Claudio Conterno and Guido Fantino. Today, they cultivate 27 hectares of vineyards and produce about 150,000 bottles per year, distributed among the 4 grape varieties: Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto and Chardonnay. Over the years, the two founders were joined by Alda, Fabio and Elisa Fantino, and later by Noemi and Matteo Conterno.
To further reduce the environmental impact, during the expansion of the winery in 2008, various technical improvements were used to conserve energy, such as solar panels, a geothermal system and finally, the use of a wetland specially designed for wastewater treatment.
Environmental sustainability, preservation of biodiversity, and respect for the land and its heritage are the guiding principles of their vineyards, which are cultivated in organic agriculture (certified by CCPB).
Sori’Ginestra is the flagship wine of Conterno Fantino. It comes from a single historic vineyard located in the Ginestra district, one of the most important hills of Monforte d’Alba, if not of Barolo itself. It is located on high ground and enjoys an ideal southern exposure ("sorì"), which provides the vines with warm sunshine from morning to night. The marl and limestone soil gives the wine its unique elegance, remarkable structure and longevity of aging.
The Conterno Fantino estate makes its wines with the primary goal of reflecting their own identity: from the careful manual selection of the fruit to the hand harvesting in small crates; from the preservation of the vineyard’s aromas with spontaneous fermentation from indigenous yeasts (no commercial yeast is used); from the careful use of wood for aging the wines to the minimal use of sulphites, all the way to the aging in bottle. This seemingly complex path is the most natural for them.
For Conterno Fantino, wine is the product of the land in which it is grown and once in the cellar, it must be aged step by step, as if it were a member of the family. The man himself is part of the terroir and the wine is part of themselves.
There is no terroir if there is no man capable of understanding it