Monforte d'Alba, Piedmont
Fenocchio family has been producing wine for five generations, from their holdings in Monforte d’Alba, since 1894. Most of the production was sold locally up until 1964, when the ambitious and energetic Giacomo Fenocchio took over the estate. In his quest to make the finest wines in all of Barolo, he purchased prime parcels in Cannubi and nearby Castellero, but his focus was always on what he liked to call the heart of the Barolo area, the Bussia.
In April of 1989, Giacomo passed away, leaving his young son Claudio to take over all farming and winemaking duties for the estate. As Claudio explains it, it was a challenging time for Barolo. Many producers were pushing a “new way” to make Barolo, and having great commercial success; but Claudio never strayed from the path of tradition. He continued producing his wines with the time honored techniques of the classic style: organic farming, with long fermentations on the skins and aging only in large Slavonian oak casks.
Today Claudio’s wines exhibit a level of terroir clarity that is only found in the top echelon of producers. If you’re looking for one of the next star winemaker in Piedmont and Italy, look no further. Claudio now manages 14 hectares of vineyards in Barolo, Castiglione Falletto and of course, the Bussia of Monforte.
In October of 2014, The New York Times rated Fenocchio in second position in a tasting of 2010 Barolos, coming behind only Elio Altare and ahead of Elio Grasso, Massolino, and Vietti. With prices that frankly do not come close to approximating the astronomical quality of the wines, it’s painfully obvious that Fenocchio should be on the radar of Barolo lovers everywhere.
"Claudio Fenocchio is a master at crafting classic Barolos that beautifully express their pedigree…his noninterventionalist approach in the cellar ensures that their individual terroirs shine through". Kerin O’Keefe, Barolo and Barbaresco
Main Wines
Barbera d'Alba
Langhe Nebbiolo
Barolo
Barolo Bussia
Barolo Villero
Barolo Castellero
Barolo Cannubi
Barolo Riserva Bussia "90 dì"