101VINI: Five Producers, from Barolo to Chianti Classico

It can be hard to trace a favorite bottle back to where it comes from. 101VINI, a leader in the international trade of fine Italian wine, brings us closer to 19 legendary producers. Here are five of our favorites from its catalog.

Fontanafredda

Fontanafredda was born in 1858 from the love between King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy and Rosa Vercellana, and it has always been grounded in respect for the land of Serralunga d'Alba in the Langhe. Its signature is Barolo, one of the most powerful styles of Nebbiolo, often aged for years if not decades before it becomes approachable. Today the estate farms 120 hectares of organic crops and covers five different Cru of Barolo, making it the largest private producer in the appellation. It also makes Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Arneis, Gavi, Chardonnay and Moscato, along with Alta Langa Metodo Classico and Asti sparkling wines.

Organic farming is central here: no herbicides, pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. The initiative began in 2015, and the estate earned its organic certification in 2018. Fontanafredda is also among the last producers to keep extensive woods in the Bassa Langa, dedicating 12 hectares to help increase plant and animal biodiversity. Grapes are harvested by hand when sugars, tannins and acidity are "in complete harmony," fermented with techniques chosen for each variety and aged in oak barrels, steel tanks or concrete vessels.

Borgogno

Few wineries can trace their roots back centuries. Borgogno was founded in 1761 by Bartolomeo Borgogno and is one of the oldest producers of Barolo. Its wines marked historic moments, including the celebratory lunch for the Unification of Italy and a banquet of honor for a Russian Tsar. In 1971, a bottle of the 1886 vintage sold at auction for 530,000 lira — the highest figure ever reached for any Italian wine.

The Farinetti family acquired the winery in 2008 and committed to following tradition closely, returning to concrete, converting to organic farming in 2016 and renovating the historic cellars in Barolo. Their guiding idea is a "praise to slowness": being slow in one's actions means having time to understand things better and do them the right way. Organic fertilizers and eco-friendly treatments earned the vineyards organic certification for the 2019 harvest.

The estate covers 50.6 hectares, with 8 in woods to protect biodiversity and 42.6 in vineyards spanning five of the best Barolo cru. Nebbiolo, Barbera, Freisa, Timorasso and Riesling yield 225,000 bottles a year. In the cellar, Borgogno uses no selected yeasts, enzymes or mannoproteins, and fermentation practices have stayed the same for decades. The wines are real and alive, and they differ from year to year with each vintage.

Casa E. di Mirafiore

Mirafiore has a history that comes from both counts and farmers. Emanuele Alberto Guerrieri, Count of Mirafiore, founded Casa E. Mirafiore with his estates in Barolo and Fontanafredda. He cared for the community around his vineyards, building a village for his employees with farmhouses, cellars, stables, a church and a recreational club. His investment in quality, including the first concrete barrels in Europe, paid off when the wines won the first gold medal at an enological competition in Cologne, Germany.

The 1900s were rough for the brand, and the market had forgotten its name by the early 2000s. A rebirth followed: in 2008, Mirafiore returned to the heart of the estate with a mission to produce its iconic Cru Barolos. Its approach to innovation draws on the traditions of the past and on the historical expression of the brand, summed up as "Apparent Contrasts." In 2018 it became an organic estate. In 2022 it obtained the Sustainable Winery certification from Equalitas, Vegan Product Certification and the "Historic Brand" marker from the Italian government.

The Mirafiore Foundation was started in 2010 in collaboration with our own founder, Oscar Farinetti, to promote cultural growth in a pleasant and entertaining environment. Today Mirafiore focuses on three varieties — Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera — as red, white or even sparkling wines.

Le Vigne di Zamò

High in Friuli, in northeastern Italy, Le Vigne di Zamò is a family-run winery guided by the idea that making wine is "a sign of civilization" that strengthens our bond with the land, our origins and our traditions. It is a relatively young winery: Tullio Zamò purchased 5 hectares of vineyards on the Rocca Bernada hill in 1978. In 1981 his sons Pierluigi and Silvano rented vineyards around the Rosazzo Abbey and produced the first wines in barriques under a new brand, "Abbazia di Rosazzo," including Ronco dei Roseti.

The father and sons kept buying vineyards, including the oldest and best-exposed on the Rosazzo hill, and restored the old farmhouse. Ronco dei Roseti earned a Tre Bicchieri from Gambero Rosso for several years between 1988 and 2000. The family earned organic certification in 2021 and, in 2023, created WEART, a tale of poetry, femininity and wine told through illustrations by Elisa Talentino. Each label features a woman whose dress, pose and color palette reflect the grape, soil or landscape behind the wine.

The range spans whites, reds and sweet wines, from local and international varieties including Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Schioppettino, Friulano and Ribolla Gialla. For the sweet Picolit, grapes are dried for 3 months, producing an almost nectar-like must that ferments in barriques and ages for 5 years.

Colombaio di Cencio

Tuscany has long been recognized for outstanding wine. In 1872, Baron Bettino Ricasoli established the official formula for Chianti Classico, fixing Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Malvasia as the permitted grapes. Some producers felt constrained: they saw that the stony soils of the region might suit international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Those "out of regulation" wines eventually became known as Super Tuscans.

In 1993, German businessman Werner Ernest Wilhelm fell in love with the natural beauty of Gaiole in Chianti and turned a historic country house into a cellar. Colombaio di Cencio became an icon for both Chianti Classico and its Super Tuscan, "Il Futuro," which has earned Tre Bicchieri from Gambero Rosso several times. The farmhouse now welcomes guests among the woods and vineyards of Chianti.

Fontanafredda purchased the estate in 2018, seeing it as the ideal place for a new project. Today the winery makes reds and whites from Sangiovese, Malvasia, Trebbiano, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Bianco. Its Chianti Classico wines are all 100% Sangiovese, made in a very classic style.

Taste them at Eataly

Stop by one of our locations to taste some of these wines through 101VINI, or order online from Eataly Vino to find your favorites.