Winemaker Notes
One of the great names in Piedmontese winemaking, Cantine dei Marchesi di Barolo dates back as far as the 12th century, when the land-owning Falletti family of Piedmont's Barolo district was granted titles of nobility. Today the estate owns about 100 acres of vineyard in the Langhe, including some of the finest vineyards in the district. The Marchesi di Barolo cellars have been owned since 1929 by the Abbona family, who make their home in the large, yellow-fronted villa overlooking the terra cotta rooftops of the picturesque village of Barolo. Like their Falletti predecessors the Abbonas are committed to conserving the estate's time-honored reputation.
Production Area
From prime estate vineyards planted in calcareous, clayey soils on the moderately inclined hillsides of Piedmont's Barolo district.
Grape Varieties
100% Nebbiolo
Vinification
Following destemming, handpicked grapes are soft-pressed. Fermentation occurs at controlled temperatures in thermo-conditioned vats. Maceration lasts 10-18 days with racking of the wine only after all sugar content has been converted to alcohol.
The wine is aged 2-3 years in a combination of small, new and older, used Slavonian oak casks. The wine is further aged six months in bottle prior to release. It can be cellared for 15-20 years.
Color
Deep ruby red with orange highlights.
Bouquet
Intense rose bouquet with scents of licorice and spice.
Taste
Full-bodied, dry and elegant.
Serving Suggestions
A perfect complement to red meats and ripe cheeses. Serve at a moderate room temperature.
Professional Ratings
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.