If you asked us to make a list of our greatest wine experiences, it’d be stacked with bottles just like A&G Fantino’s Barolo Riserva “Vigna dei Dardi” 2015. This is traditionally made Barolo crafted by artisans who spent decades establishing other producers’ legendary status, and who’ve now marked out their own estate as one of the region’s best. It hails not just from the legendary Monforte d’Alba village, but from a select plot in one of its best sites. With almost a decade of age on it now, it’s an exquisite lesson in balance–pulsing, leathery red fruit underpinned by  vibrant structure. Soulstirring now, with decades of age ahead. Little in the world of wine can compare. The opportunity to offer a wine like this for less than $100 is rare indeed and getting rarer. We highly recommend grabbing as much as you can!

You might not see their wines nabbing quadruple-digit prices on restaurant lists or being flaunted on social media, but every Barolo diehard knows Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino. For twenty years, Alessandro managed the vineyards and winemaking at Bartolo Mascarello, arguably the greatest–and most stridently traditional–Barolo estate ever. In fact, his expertise was so instrumental to Mascarello that he eventually became a full partner in the family business. In 1998, he sold his stakes to Bartolo’s daughter and joined his brother Gian Natale at the family’s estate. The same level of precision, detail, and artisanal craft Alessandro brought to Mascarello is at play at Fantino. Fruit is always harvested by hand; fermentations take place spontaneously, with macerations lasting up to a month; and yearslong aging takes place in large, old Slavonian oak botti. 

Of course, it helps that the Fantino brothers’ Barolo comes from some of the best vineyard land in all of Piedmont. Their holdings are located entirely within the village of Monforte d’Alba. Riper and denser than La Morra, fresher and more supple than Serralunga, Monforte is all about depth and balance. More specifically, they farm a special plot known as “Dardi,” a southeastern-facing slope at the center of the Bussia cru. And they’ve got some of the oldest Nebbiolo vines in the region, now approaching 80 years old. It isn’t talked about much, but the truth is that most vineyards in Barolo aren’t particularly old, being either planted recently to take advantage of the region’s fame, or regularly replanted to keep production levels up. But the depth of flavor and balance you only get from older vineyards come through loud and clear in today’s wine, marking it out as a particularly profound expression of the region.

You’ll definitely want to experience Fantino’s “Vigna dei Dardi” out of a Burgundy stem so as to fully appreciate the kaleidoscopic aromatic spectrum on display. It pours a classic garnet red with slight bricking at the edges. The nose explodes with wild fruit thanks to the warm vintage–a melange of dried red cherry, raspberry liqueur, pomegranate, and plum skin. Rose petals, tar, fresh leather, cigar box, black pepper and warm spices follow. On the palate, it’s dense and powerful, mouthcoating, the tannins strong and present but very refined. There’s no rough edges here thanks to the age, just density, depth, and rigor. It’s stunning right now, but we have no doubt this could be one of those Barolos that’s wildly alive even at fifty years of age. Whether you open it now or in two decades, the Fantino brothers’ Barolo Riserva “Vigna dei Dardi” is sure to be one of the best bottles you’ll ever have. Grab what you can while you can!