The assistant winemaker toured and tasted with us.  They proudly stated that they view their wines as very traditional in style and use only the large oak casks for aging, no barriques.  The wines are unfiltered.  They have two Barolo cru – La Serra and Brunate.  This winery made no Barolo in 2002 due to the hail and rain storms that decimated the area that year.

Their vineyards are at an elevation of 1500 feet (300 meters) and they stated that they thought the 2003 would be an early maturing vintage due to the extreme heat and stress inflicted on the grapes before harvesting.  They make 110K-120K bottles per year (10K cases).

I mentioned that we own some of the 2001 Barolo Brunate and asked how long I should hold the wine before drinking it.  We already tried a bottle and found it painfully young.  The answer was, 10 years minimum for that vintage and wine.  OK, now we know.    They stated that the 2003 vintage will be early maturing and will be ready to drink long before the 2001 vintage.

This winery flies a bit under the radar and  makes quality wines at reasonable prices. 

• 2003 Marcarini Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (5/7/2007)
  Tasted at the winery; Garnet color again not entirely clear but a deeper color than the La Serra 03. I picked up more tobacco and black cherry aromas and flavors. The finish was quite long and aromatic. Again balanced but more acidic than the La Serra 03. It should improve with age. Well-priced. €25 from the winery. (90 pts.)


• 2003 Marcarini Barolo La Serra - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (5/7/2007)
  Tasted at the winery; Garnet in color with a slightly cloudy tone; The rim had a slightly orange tone they mentioned was more common in the La Serra cru than the Brunate. The nose started out somewhat shy but opened up into licorice and cherries. The flavors included licorice, cherries, and florals. Very balanced, solid Barolo. It should improve with age. Well-priced. €25 at the winery. (90 pts.)