168 years after its founding, Fontanafredda signs a new chapter in the Renaissance – Illustrious Words for a New Humanity project, dedicating the 2022 vintage of Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d’Alba to the theme of Tenacity, understood as the energy that generates change, a positive force and a virtue capable of improving humanity and our environment. This fifth edition of the project fits into the winery’s broader path toward a “Green Renaissance,” a pillar of the cultural and agricultural vision of the Villaggio Narrante.
Alongside the new vintage, Fontanafredda announces the return to single vineyards, expanding the “Back to the Single Vineyards” project: a cultural gesture even before a production choice, designed to narrate the diversity of Serralunga’s terroirs with crystalline precision. In 2022, three new Barolos debut from three historic crus of the estate, joined by the artistic project “Lost to be Found,” which places seven monumental sculptures by Giuseppe Carta among the vines as a manifesto of the biodiversity of the Langhe.
Fontanafredda Renaissance 2022: The Barolo of Tenacity
The 2022 vintage was a demanding one, marked by scarce water reserves and long periods of intense sunlight. Nebbiolo, however, once again demonstrated its chameleon‑like resilience: the vine self‑regulated, adapting to extreme conditions and yielding healthy, concentrated grapes of surprising quality.
According to the “Portrait of the Vintage” presented during Serralunga Day 2025, 2022 was “the exception that proves the rule”: a vintage able to combine aromatic purity, territorial fidelity and evolutionary potential.
After 30 months in oak and 6–8 months in concrete, Barolo Renaissance 2022 presents an intense garnet‑red color and an aromatic profile ranging from citrus to dark cherry, with almost camphor‑like mint nuances. The palate is dense, juicy, and balanced, supported by silky tannins and a fresh, savory, almost saline finish, with an estimated ageing potential of 25 to 30 years.
The wine is sealed with Vinventions’ SÜBR cork, the world’s first polyurethane‑free micro‑natural closure, ideal for impeccable aromatic preservation and controlled evolution.
The standard format is offered in boxes of six bottles along with a copy of the dedicated volume. A magnum (1.5 L) version is also available.
Tenacity Told by Emanuele Trevi and Elisa Macellari
Each edition of Renaissance is enriched by a literary work and a visual one. In 2022, the task falls to writer Emanuele Trevi with the monograph “A Better Tomorrow. Storia di un fermacarte,” and to illustrator Elisa Macellari.
In the preface, Oscar Farinetti writes: “Never ever give up: tenacity always wins.”
Trevi interprets Tenacity as coherence between thought and action: “It is not the length of a life that determines its value, but the tenacity with which one pursues what one believes in.”
Macellari translates this concept into the act of “remaining upright” even on minimal support: in her artwork, the human figure moves beyond the image, transforming precariousness into direction, while the paperweight becomes a metaphor for the solidity of rocks and regained balance.
Back to the Single Vineyards: Three New Crus Expand Fontanafredda’s Barolo Map
The project to return to single vineyards, launched in 2013 and already made concrete in 2019 with the revival of Vigna La Villa (MGA Paiagallo) and Vigna La Delizia (MGA Lazzarito) alongside the historic Vigna La Rosa, enters a new phase with the debut of three new interpretations from the 2022 vintage:
- Vigna Bianca (MGA Fontanafredda). Last bottled in 1985, it returns today as a pure expression of a historic vineyard replanted in the 2000s. Sandy topsoil and deep clay: a fine, harmonious, precise, and measured Barolo.
- Vigna San Pietro (MGA Fontanafredda). Planted in 1996, with roots reaching 1.5 meters. Soil rich in silt and deep sands: an austere, vertical, refined wine with great structure and ageing potential.
- Proprietà in Gallaretto. Replanted in 2002 on Sant’Agata Fossili marl: an elegant, smooth Barolo with vibrant freshness and fine tannins.
Completing the estate’s map of crus:
- Vigna La Rosa, 6.94 ha, roots up to 7.3 meters, first single vinification in 1964. Harmonious, graceful, profoundly deep Barolo.
- Vigna La Villa (Paiagallo), 3.19 ha, replanted in 2008, deep silt‑rich soil. Elegant, taut, fresh Barolo.
- Vigna La Delizia (Lazzarito), 0.56 ha, southwest exposure. Calcareous marl, clay and abundant sand. Structured, vertical Barolo with fresh, expressive tannins.
Lost to be Found: Art Among the Vines to Safeguard Langhe Biodiversity
The environmental art project “Lost to be Found” brings seven monumental sculptures by Giuseppe Carta into Fontanafredda’s vineyards, each dedicated to a symbolic fruit of the “lost Langa” described by Fenoglio. Each artwork is placed in a corresponding vineyard:
- Raspberry – Vigna Bianca
- Hazelnut – Vigna San Pietro
- Peach – Vigna La Villa
- Strawberry – Vigna La Rosa
- Truffle – Vigna La Delizia
- Plum – Proprietà in Gallaretto
- Chili Pepper – Collina di Cascina Galarej
The path dialogues with Bosco Vigna, launched in 2024, which saw the planting of over 170 fruit trees next to the Bosco dei Pensieri, one of the last forests of the Lower Langa.
