Marrone
Barolo – 2018
Region: italy - piedmont
Marrone
The origins of Agricola Marrone date back over a century and through four generations where the family has focused on cultivating local grape varietals with a passionate commitment and dedication to the land.
In 1978 ‘Gianpi’ took over full management of Marrone and began a phase of expansion in the vineyards and the cellar space. His wife Giovanna, affectionately known as “Mamma Gio,” orchestrates private hospitality and is the kitchen director. For Giovanna, food is “tradition and Italian values that go hand with our wines.”
When Pietro Marrone was born in 1887, his father Edoardo was already producing wines. In 1910, at 23 years old, he asked his father to plant some vineyards. In the early 1920s/30s the winery began cultivating vineyards using techniques that were revolutionary at the time: reducing production yields to prioritize higher quality and avoiding sowing wheat between vine rows, a standard practice at the time. This decision was an early adoption of what eventually became known as modern cultivation practices widely used in the region today.
Since 2011 the winery has been run by “Tre Fie,” the three daughters of Gian Piero and Giovanna Marrone. Valentina is the winemaker, Serena runs marketing and business operations, and Denise is the hospitality heart and manager of the visitor programs and restaurant. The farm is run with minimal intervention in the vineyard, a philosophy that carries through from harvest to winemaking. The Marrone family pays careful attention to produce wines that are elegantly structured with the potential to evolve for decades.
Reviews
91 Points
From vintner Gian Piero Marrone, the 2018 Barolo strikes good balance and intensity with classic aromas of redcurrant, pressed lavender, grilled herb and dusty iron ore. The wine opens generously in the glass to provide a wider perspective on those slightly aged Nebbiolo aromas. To the palate, it shows good structure over a finely knit texture. 2024 – 2032
© Wine Advocate, December, 2022
90 Points
Zesty, cedary spice to the red berries on the nose. Medium-bodied with integrated, spice-coated tannins and a tight finish. The mid-palate may develop. Give it a year.
jamessuckling.com, October, 2022
16.5 Points
Transparent orange-ruby. Heady orange-peel notes and a gentle combination of fruit and char. Very energetic! Long and lively. Should be served reasonably cool. Masses of fine tannin. Very refreshing. 2023 – 2030
JancisRobinson.com, November, 2022
90 Points
This opens with delicate aromas recalling violet, baking spice and tilled soil. The solid palate offers ripe black plum, tobacco and sage alongside close-grained tannins. 2023 – 2030
Wine Enthusiast, September, 2022
90+ Points
The Marrone sisters craft their blended Barolo cuvée from parcels located in both their home village of LaMorra and Castiglione Falletto. These are generally some of their younger vines, with the average being thirty years of age. The 2018 Barolo Normale delivers lovely aromatics in its bouquet of cherries, camphor, rose petals, gamebird, a fine base of soil, fresh oregano and a touch of red curry in the upper register. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, ripe and focused, with fine depth at the core, good soil signature and grip, firm, well-integrated tannins and a long, well balanced and still properly very youthful finish. The warm summer in Barolo in 2018 is not felt here in terms of alcohol, as the wine comes in at a typical 14.5 percent, but there is a gentle sense of torrefaction to the fruit expression that is a reflection of the summer weather. It is still a very fine bottle in the making. 2033 – 2075+
View From The Cellar, November, 2023
