Size & Type
Other
$126
‘La Morra is most often a horror zone for me when it comes to Barolo, fine light wines, beefed up with way too much oak. Marcarini is one of the beautiful exceptions to that. So fine, and finely etched. Red fruits, roses, mint, almond, subtle five spice perfume. It’s medium-bodied, fresh and precise, fine brick dust and peppery tannin, quiet succulence of strawberry and other red fruits, spice and liquorice root, long cool finish. So lovely. Energy and charm. Love this wine. And there’s more to come too, I feel.’
Gary Walsh
In stock
There’s been a few invigorating changes at Marcarini recently. Manuel’s talented offspring have joined forces with their father to breathe new life into the winery.
Lots to love here, but the most significant changes relate to the Barolos. They’ve introduced a new entry level offering – Barolo del commune di La Morra – to join the line up.
As a result of this new addition, La Serra and Brunate have both been reduced by around 8,000 bottles with careful attention being paid to the vineyard selection – and the wines are now being released a little later than they were before.
La Serra, or rather the other side of the Marcarini Barolo production, comes from a historic area of ancient origin whose soil, lacking organic substances but rich in mineral salts and microelements, is capable of giving wines good color, structure, and flavorful but never excessive tannins. The particular microclimate is characterized by a slight ventilation with the circulation of fresh and dry air.
The ripening occurs a bit later than in the Brunate area.
Variety: Nebbiolo. Rootstocks: kober 5bb – 420A.
Plant Density: 4,000 plants per hectare. Training System: Free-standing espalier with “Guyot” pruning
Average Altitude: 380 m above sea level. Exposure: South, Southwest
Soil: Calcareous, argillaceous with magnesium content
Plantation Dates: 1992/2002.
Zones: La Morra
Cultivated Area: 4 hectares
From 2015, to improve the quality of our Barolo, we select the grapes during the harvest. As far as wine production methods are concerned, we are proud to call ourselves “traditionalists”. We aim to be rigorous and demanding during our work in the vineyard, have a low yield per hectare, harvest the grapes when they are completely and perfectly ripe, and carefully select the grape bunches utilized in vinification.
The fermentation is strictly controlled, and the maceration of the must in contact with the skins lasts for at least four weeks. When the malolactic fermentation is completed, the wine ages in medium-sized oak barrels (20/40 hl) for at least two years. Overall, it is subject only to traditional winemaking
2016 has come at just the right time. We have a number of winemakers with incredible experience and wine wisdom. The vineyards in Barolo are in the best condition they’ve been in with incredible detail going into their care.
Combined we have a situation where vignerons are in the best possible position to make the most of the great fruit yielded by the 2016 harvest!
When you compare the 2015 & 2016 vintages you see the difference between a warmer vintage with a shorter ripening period and a cooler one with the longest ripening period in memory.
Nebbiolo responds beautifully to a cooler longer ripening. Once it reaches sugar level high enough to make a wine around 14-14.5% alcohol the sugar levels stop increasing, it tends to hold its acid and the tannins so important to the insane mouthfeel of Nebbiolo ripen and increase in depth.
Such vintages tend to offer wines with more perfume, energy, and, vitality.
Marcarini’s two Cru vineyards, Brunate and La Serra, are in the commune of La Morra known for producing rich generous Barolo.
If you have a Barolo MGA 360º subscription check out the La Serra Cru & other Cru’s in exceptional detail.
This 3D flyover is Epic covering each of the communes you can see just how varied and extreme the aspect of each vineyard is and how in the space of a few metres just how dramatically the change.
La Morra is most often a horror zone for me when it comes to Barolo, fine light wines, beefed up with way too much oak. Marcarini is one of the beautiful exceptions to that. So fine, and finely etched. Red fruits, roses, mint, almond, subtle five spice perfume. It’s medium-bodied, fresh and precise, fine brick dust and peppery tannin, quiet succulence of strawberry and other red fruits, spice and liquorice root, long cool finish. So lovely. Energy and charm. Love this wine. And there’s more to come too, I feel.
All about finesse, this ethereally elegant red opens with scents of rose, crushed mint, red berry and hints of new leather. The polished, precise palate features strawberry compote, spiced cranberry, star anise and a dash of white pepper. It's well balanced, with fresh acidity and taut, refined tannins.
A Barolo with such intense, fine-grained tannins, yet it’s so deep and poised with polish and energy. Full-bodied, yet it remains agile and layered. Strawberries, bark, hazelnuts and hints of rose petals. Give this four or five years in the bottle, at least. But a classic wine.
Where in the world does the magic happen?
Poderi Marcarini, Piazza Martiri, La Morra, Province of Cuneo, Italy
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