Giacomo Fenocchio
Monforte d’Alba, Piedmont
Availability:
SA, VIC, NSW & TAS
I think the world is finally waking up to Claudio Fenocchio’s family estate. This year alone I’ve fielded probably 20 visit requests to the cantina from Australia, and it’s probably the one release that I’ve been asked most about the last 12 months - in large part certainly thanks the runaway success of last year’s 2021 wines.
And it’s not just the wines that are accelerating this little winery to dizzying heights. Claudio and Nicoletta Fenocchio, together with their daughters and next-in-line Eleonora and Letizia, are a dynamic wine family with hearts of gold (or perhaps Helvetian soil). It is very rare to find people as humble, who have achieved so much and make some of the greatest wines in one of the great wine regions.
After so many cellar tastings over the years, this year’s visit for me was as eye opening as the first time I met Claudio. A few days in the Langhe of hearing about the challenging and warm 2022 and the generally bulky wines it produced, it was a great surprise to taste the delicate and vivacious 2022 Fenocchio Barolos. These weren’t just elegant by 2022 vintage standards, they showed a different gear for Fenocchio who, for me at least, has completely overdelivered this release with a jaw-dropping set of young Barolos.
I had the opportunity to preview both the lustrous 2023 and enigmatic 2024s from barrel. And the 2024s will be a true enigma. While many or most estates won’t make cru wines in ‘24, Claudio is making the full set, plus (at this stage) a Riserva! A big believer in this challenging vintage, the wines he built were very low in volume but immense in quality. They will be unlike any Barolos that came before.
Not to dip too far into the recess of my own fantasy, but Claudio reminds me of what a young Bruno Giacosa might have been like; quietly spoken but daringly confident in his own ability and not afraid to break from the pack and make wines that might just change the Langhe.
I’m certainly here for it.
— Christian Canala, June 2026
2024 Dolcetto d’Alba
Very red, very Dolcetto. Crunchy red cherries, red licorice and a lively stoney freshness that carries through to the finish. Easy tannins, bright acidity and exactly the kind of wine you open on a Tuesday without thinking twice about it.
Winemaking
From Monforte d’Alba’s Bussia cru, fruit is sourced from 30-year-old west-facing vines at around 300m elevation on Helvetian soils of clay, blue marl and tuff.
Fruit is hand-harvested by the end of September and undergoes a 10-day natural fermentation in stainless steel before maturation for 6 months in stainless steel, followed by 6 months in bottle prior to release.
2023 Barbera d’Alba Superiore
All strawberries and silk on the nose, and the palate is right there with it — juicy, smooth and completely moreish. There's a lovely elegance here that doesn't ask anything of you.
A Barbera that doesn't try to be anything other than what it is, and is better for it.
Winemaking
From Monforte d’Alba in the greater Langhe. Sourced from 30-year-old vines at around 300m elevation on Helvetian soils of clay, blue marl and tuff, with a west-facing aspect.
Fruit is hand-harvested in mid-October and undergoes a 10-day natural fermentation in stainless steel before maturation for 6 months in stainless steel and a further 6 months in large Slavonian oak, followed by 6 months in bottle prior to release.
2024 Langhe Nebbiolo
Very light on its feet and all the better for it. Fragrant and open with fresh red berries, apricots, orange juice and a squeeze of strawberry. The palate is sweet and seamless — barely a tannin in sight, just crispy, effortless Nebbiolo fruit doing exactly what you want it to do. Drink it young and often. Shows the best qualities of this challenging vintage.
Winemaking
Sourced from the greater Langhe, this Nebbiolo comes from 15-year-old vines at around 300m elevation on Helvetian soils of clay, blue marl and tuff, with a west-facing aspect.
Fruit is hand-harvested in mid-October and undergoes a 10-day natural fermentation in stainless steel before maturation for 6 months in stainless steel and a further 6 months in large Slavonian oak, followed by 6 months in bottle prior to release.
2022 Barolo Classico
Unmistakably Monforte but with a lovely lifted frame. Dark chocolate, chocolate orange, fennel seeds and brooding dark cherry on the nose. The palate is mouth-filling and assertive — earthy but not dusty, with real intensity and a long, gripping finish. Built to age, but already showing plenty.
Winemaking
From 20-year-old vines at around 350m elevation on Helvetian soils of clay, sand and limestone marl, fruit is hand-harvested in early October and undergoes 40 days of natural fermentation in stainless steel before maturation for 6 months in stainless steel and 30 months in large Slavonian oak, followed by 12 months in bottle prior to release.
2022 Barolo ‘Bussia’
Starts quietly — closed and mineral at first — before slowly revealing darker fruits, balsamic, spice and that classic Bussia savouriness. The palate is juicy and direct, with tannins that have a lovely sweetness to them. It rewards patience on the night and will reward even more in the cellar.
Winemaking
From the Bussia cru in Monforte d’Alba, fruit is from a 5-hectare site cultivated by the Fenocchio family for over 30 years. South-facing vines at around 300m elevation average 35 years of age and are planted on Helvetian soils of clay, calcareous sediment and iron-rich deposits.
Fruit is hand-harvested in mid-October and undergoes 40 days of natural fermentation in stainless steel before maturation for 6 months in stainless steel and 30 months in large Slavonian oak, followed by 12 months in bottle prior to release.
Reviews
Camphor, blue flower, wild berry, new leather and spice are just some of the aromas you'll find on the exceedingly fragrant 2022 Bussia from Giacomo Fenocchio. Smooth, tangy and seriously delicious, the full-bodied, elegantly formed palate doles out succulent red cherry, rhubarb, graphite, licorice and baking spice before closing on notes of mint and salty mineral all encapsulated within velvety tannins. It's nicely balanced, with fresh acidity that imparts great energy. A fantastic showing. 97pts Kerin O’Keefe
Really open and aromatic, very floral and absorbing, showing roses, red berries and lavender. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, with fine-grained, expansive tannins that complement the transparent, tender yet succulent fruit. 95pts Jacobo García Andrade, James Suckling.com
Monforte d’Alba. Lustrous mid ruby. Concentrated, perfumed and with minerally hints on the nose and still a little monolithic. A suggestion of black pepper. Polished and suave on the palate with a layer of supple, grainy and truly noble tannins. Already delicious but ideally should be given more time. 17++/20 Walter Speller, Jancis Robinson.com
2022 Barolo ‘Castellero’
Generous on the nose — vanilla, persimmon, red fruits and a flash of orange Fanta as it opens up. Can I say it’s kind of milky, in a way? The texture is where this wine earns its keep: broad, chewy tannins with real presence and grip, underpinned by juice and flesh. One of the more tactile wines in the range and very hard to put down.
Winemaking
From the Castellero cru between Bussia and Cannubi, this Barolo is from vines aged 10–45 years at 280m elevation on Tortonian soils of marl and sand. The vineyard sits beside Sandrone’s cantina and is hand-harvested in early October.
Fermentation and 40 days of skin maceration take place in stainless steel, followed by 6 months in stainless steel, 30 months in large Slavonian oak, and 12 months in bottle before release.
Review
Claudio Fenocchio has knocked 2022 out of the park and the Castellero is another fantastic offering from the challenging vintage, offering heady aromas of rose, baking spice, rhubarb, forest berry and eucalyptus. On the elegant, structured palate, notes of licorice, truffle, crushed mint and blood orange accent a Morello cherry core. Velvety tannins lend almost seamless support. 95pts Kerin O’Keefe
Barolo. Lustrous mid ruby. A little meatier than Cannubi with subtle spice hints and grated mace. Juicy and pure cherry fruit with firmer tannins than Cannubi but the fruit holds up effortlessly. 17/20 Walter Speller, Jancis Robinson.com
2022 Barolo Cannubi
Cannubi's pure Tortonian soils announce themselves immediately — lifted, fine and precise from the first sniff. Red-fruited and finely drawn, with chocolate, toasted cereal and a whisper of baked meats underpinned by salty minerality. The tannins are fine-grained and the finish long and clean. Gorgeous wine.
Winemaking
From 30-year-old vines at 280m elevation on Tortonian soils of marl and sand. Fruit is hand-harvested in early October and undergoes a 40-day natural fermentation in stainless steel before maturation for 6 months in stainless steel and 30 months in large Slavonian oak, followed by 12 months in bottle prior to release.
Reviews
Cedar, violet, forest floor and the barest whiff of game take shape on the 2022 Cannubi from Giacomo Fenocchio. Showing an earthy finesse and lots of character, the savory palate features succulent Morello cherry, seasoned meats and cake spice set against taut, chalky tannins. A bitter orange note brightens the finish. 93pts Kerin O’Keefe
Barolo. Lustrous just mid ruby. A balsamic nose with notes of exotic spice and a suggestion of cinnamon, but this has seen only large oak cask. With aeration, more and more minerally. Opens up only very slowly on the nose and becomes more and more complex. Fluid and concentrated but not heavy at all and with tasty, chalky, long tannins. 17+/20 Walter Speller, Jancis Robinson.com
2022 Barolo ‘Villero’
The wine of the line up right now. An extraordinary nose — roses, dark chocolate, coffee bean — with an elegance and power that rarely coexist so comfortably. The palate is layered and surprisingly approachable for a wine of this stature, with a finish that lingers long after the glass is empty. Some wines you just have to taste.
Winemaking
At 300m elevation on Helvetian soils of clay, calcareous sediments and iron-rich deposits, fruit is hand-harvested in early October and undergoes a 40-day natural fermentation in stainless steel before maturation for 6 months in stainless steel and 30 months in large Slavonian oak, followed by 12 months in bottle prior to release.
Review
Rose, violet, camphor, perfumed berry and pipe tobacco aromas abound on the fantastic 2024 Villero from Giacomo Fenocchio. All about extreme elegance, the delicious, accessible palate delivers layers of ripe red cherry, raspberry compote, licorice, blood orange and cake spice alongside polished tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it nicely balanced. 95pts Kerin O’Keefe
Castiglione Falletto. Lustrous and just mid ruby. Immediately minerally nose with a suggestion of talcum powder while the nose opens up slowly to shyly aromatic cherry fruit and again a hint of cinnamon. Bags of gravelly – but not dominant – tannins. A little finer than Castellero of the same vintage. 17+/20, Walter Speller, Jancis Robinson.com