Winemaker Notes
Garnet red color. Very intense and complex nose with notes of fruit and flowers and hints of leather and fresh hay. In the mouth it is full-bodied, elegant, with pleasant tannins that are typical of Nebbiolo and of the wines made in the area of Serralunga d'Alba. Perfect balance between tradition and innovation.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Plenty of lavender and violet aromas with plum undertones. Medium to full body with plenty of ripe tannins and a chewy finish. Shows polish and focus.
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Wine Spectator
A charming red, detailed and fresh, featuring cherry, strawberry, currant, rose and mint flavors shaded by iron and tar. Tightly wound and compact, yet has terrific balance, pedigree and a persistent aftertaste.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Taking on more mineral character, the 2019 Barolo Margheria lifts with crushed rocks, white pepper, and red cherry. It has a bit more linear drive with its spine of acidity and offers notes of blood orange, grenadine, and dried roses. It is refreshing with angular tannins and has a long finish. Best after 2026.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.