They say some wines hold stories, and few can boast of having one as romantic—and as scandalous for its time—as that of Fontanafredda.
In the mid-19th century, Victor Emmanuel II, the last King of Sardinia and the first King of Italy, defied the norms of his era by falling in love with Rosa Vercellana, a young commoner known as the Bela Rusin. His love was so strong that, despite court pressures, when the king became a widower, he decided to marry her. It was a morganatic marriage, meaning a union between people of different social ranks, in which neither the wife nor the children could inherit the monarch's titles.
But that did not prevent the king from naming her Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda, gifting her in 1858 with an estate in the Langhe hills, in the heart of Piedmont. From this love, two children were born, and one of them, Emanuele Alberto Guerrieri, inherited not only the property but also the passion for wine. With a modern vision and pioneering spirit, he transformed Fontanafredda into one of Italy's most iconic wineries.
Today, that story lives on in wines such as Fontanafredda Barolo Proprietà in Fontanafredda, a cru that spans nearly 15 hectares in the municipality of Serralunga d’Alba, in Piedmont (Italy). Its transitional soils—clay marls and fine sands—give rise to an elegant, profound Barolo with extraordinary finesse.
The nebbiolo grapes of Fontanafredda Barolo Proprietà in Fontanafredda ferment in stainless steel and age for 24 months in oak barrels, followed by 12 months of resting in the bottle, refining its character before being served. The result is a Barolo that combines power and subtlety, perfectly encapsulating the spirit of the house. A wine with history that, more than a century later, continues to make waves.