Marchesi di Barolo Barolo Riserva 2011
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James
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Spectator -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby red with orange highlights. An intense rose bouquet with scents of liquorice and spice. Full bodied, austere, yet elegant. A pleasant “goudron” becomes noticeably apparent after 7-8 years of aging. Rich, dry and deep in flavor, Barolo is an excellent accompaniment to red meats and spicy cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Plenty of ripe-fruit character, such as plums, chocolate and hazelnuts. Flowers, too. Full body. Round and chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Shows focus and intensity. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Balsamic aromas of juniper, rosemary and pine mesh nicely with the cherry, plum and raspberry fruit in this expressive yet solidly structured red. Chalky tannins play out on the finish, along with mineral and ripe fruit accents. Best from 2021 through 2040. 583 cases made, 75 cases imported.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Barolo Riserva is a dark and tarry expression of Nebbiolo that shows much of the depth and sophistication that you can expect of this grape as it evolves over time. The 2011 vintage was a hot one, and the primary fruit has faded in this seven-year-old wine. Dried berry, rose petal and chopped mint leaves appear on the close. The mouthfeel offers loose texture and mild intensity. Some 7,000 bottles were made.
Other Vintages
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James
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Robert
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Robert
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Enthusiast -
James
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The Marchesi di Barolo estate encompasses approximately 430 acres of vineyards in the Langhe, some of the finest in Piedmont, including the prestigious Cannubi cru. The cellars are in the village of Barolo, overlooking the Renaissance castle of the Marchesi Falletti di Barolo. Barolo as we know it today was first made in the early 19th century by the Marchese Carlo Tancredi Falletti di Barolo and his wife, Giulia. The wine from their estate soon became known as “the wine from Barolo”, served at important diplomatic and royal functions. The Marchesi had no children and following the death of the couple, the Marchesi di Barolo dynasty was left without an heir. Per the wishes of Marchesa Giulia, a great philanthropist, the family assets were donated to charity and a non-profit foundation was created in their name, “Opera Pia Barolo”, helping the needy of nearby Torino. The sales of wine from their Barolo vineyards continue to fund the charity, which still exists today. In 1929, local winemaker, Pietro Abbona purchased the cellars formerly owned by the Marchesi and eventually acquired all their vineyard holdings as well. Today, Marchesi di Barolo remains a family business. Since 2006, the estate has been under the direction of Pietro’s great-grandson and fifth-generation winemaker, Ernesto Abbona and his wife Anna, (with their children Valentina and Davide) who have inherited a longstanding winemaking tradition and a love of the vineyards and its wines..
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.