Nestled in the postcard-perfect village of Neive, Fontanabianca is everything we love about Barbaresco: steep hills, legendary crus, and a next-gen winemaker who’s absolutely killing it. Matteo Pola, the brains (and boots) in the cellar, took over from his father Aldo, one of the area’s most respected growers. While Aldo still tends the vines, Matteo crafts wines that are as precise as they are poetic.
The winery’s name—“white fountain”—comes from a natural spring visible from the estate. But the real magic is in the soil: white limestone that gives the wines their signature lift and length. Fontanabianca sources Nebbiolo from two of Neive’s crown jewels: Bordini, a rare sorì (a sun-blessed slope where the light hits early and hard), and Serraboella, which climbs to 320 meters and churns out age-worthy reds with muscle and grace.
Traditional? Yes. Boring? Never. Matteo’s approach marries time-honored methods with a modern edge—think stainless steel fermentation and aging in big ol’ botti. The result? Wines that whisper of the past but speak fluent now.
Manual harvesting, crushing, and fermentation of grapes following traditional vinification; the must is then fermented in steel tanks at controlled temperatures. Refinement in large casks and barriques for about 10-13 months. Aged 4-6 months in the bottle.
Producer: Fontanabianca
Country: Italy
Region: Piedmont
Varietal: Nebbiolo
Appellation: Barbaresco
Vintage: 2022
Size: 750ml