One of the historical wineries in Italy is Marchesi di Barolo and how they elevated the Nebbiolo grape to the status it now receives around the world. Read about their history and the wines that they will be pouring at the VanWineFest 2024 below. The information below comes from the winery.
About Marchesi di Barolo
Named after our own town, Barolo wine was created right here, in the historic cellars of Marchesi di Barolo, in the first half of the 19th century. Before that, the wine made from the Nebbiolo grape variety offered a completely different taste experience: it was a sweet, sparkling wine. It was only later, thanks to an intuition of Marchesa Giulia di Barolo, that the wine took its full-bodied, stable and noble character. She decided to build new cellars to make wine in large casks, a place that was protected from the cold temperatures of late autumn.
“Among the personalities related to Barolo wine, some can be considered historical figures, true pioneers […]. The first one is Commendatore Pietro Abbona, the real patriarch of Barolo […], the unquestioned forerunner who made the wine from his land known all over the world. His casks (some of which can be still admired in the cellars in the town of Barolo) were part of the estate of Marchesa Falletti. Commendatore Abbona inherited a tradition and a love for vineyards, cellars, and wine. Thanks to him, his label – which represented the Barolo and Serralunga castles – was brought everywhere, reaching even the farthest tables. It is with great pleasure that we give him credit for this.Martinelli M.,” (1970), Il Barolo come lo sento io, La Bilancia, Genoa.
After five generations in the wine business the mission of the Abbona family – today represented by Anna and Ernesto, together with their children Valentina and Davide, still consists in knowing how to marry “tradition and evolution” by combining ancient winemaking techniques with the ability to present Barolo in a contemporary way, according to the most authentic and sought after trends in “Made in Italy” food and winemaking.
Anna and Ernesto, armed with great human and winemaking experience, present themselves and their company “Marchesi di Barolo”, as faithful interpreters of the native vineyards and their locations, respecting them and rigorously preserving the typical qualities, thanks to the vinification of the grapes that come from their own vineyards and the winemaking processes selected over many years of activity, focusing on the location and the cultivation capacities of the single vineyards.
Still today, in five of these centuries-old oak casks, thanks to constant and careful maintenance, Barolo renews its history every year. The cellars where we age our wines today are the same where Barolo wine was created thanks to the intuition of Marchesa Giulia Falletti Colbert. With consistent and meticulous restoration, the five centuries-old casks that belonged to her (“Botti della Marchesa”) are still perfectly intact and efficient.
The Wines We Will Feature at the International Festival Tasting Room
Roero Arneis DOCG 2022 – The grapes come from vineyards situated on the steep hills of the Roero area, characterized by predominantly silica-limestone soils, particularly rich in quartz sands and very fine clays mixed with thin and crumbly layers of sandstone. The colour is a light straw yellow, sometimes with a pale hint of ancient gold yellow. The aroma is fruity, with clear scents of robinia flowers, Renetta apple, peach, and green hazelnuts. The taste is fresh, fragrant, and delicately mineral.
Barbera d’Alba Peiragal DOC 2021 – Peiragal is an ancient dialect term that refers to hills with a good slope, composed of large formations of clay and limestone soil, very firm, with large stones. The colour is a deep ruby with mauve nuances. Fragrant notes of berries mix with scents of cinnamon and vanilla to create a complex aroma. Full and elegant body, with graceful and enveloping tannins. Good taste persistence.
Barbaresco Tradizione DOCG 2019 – The colour is garnet red, with ruby reflections. The aroma is intense, and persistent, with a clear hint of fruit, dog rose and spices. The flavour is full-bodied, but, at the same time, harmonious and balanced, with sweet tannins, never too evident.
Barolo Tradizione DOCG 2018 – The color is intense garnet red, with ruby nuances. The aroma is intense and persistent with a clear hint of spices, cinnamon, absinthe, tobacco and scrub rose. The taste is full and elegant, with enveloping and soft tannins. Pleasant spices and the wood blend perfectly.
Barolo Sarmassa DOCG 2018 – The colour is a vivid garnet red. The aroma is intense, with clear scents of dog rose, vanilla, liquorice and spices, and a vague hint of pine resin and tobacco. Full and elegant taste, good body, prominent tannins. Pleasant spicy and woody notes that merge perfectly together.
