Marrone

Langhe Nebbiolo Che Vale – 2024

Region: italy - piedmont

Marrone

The origins of Agricola Marrone date back over a century and through four generations. The family is focused on cultivating local grape varietals with a passionate dedication to the land.

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.

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.”

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.

The Wine

Vineyard Profile

Estate vineyards in Madonna di Como, Alba, Langhe DOC.

  • Altitude: 1300 feet/400 meters
  • Exposure: Southeast
  • Hills of recent geologic formation
  • Soil: Calcareous with quartz and fine limestone, alternated by compact layers of gray sandstone
  • Vines Planted: average 1995
  • Vine Training System: traditional Guyot
  • No herbicides or pesticides used
Harvest Notes
  • Hand harvested
  • Destemmed, macerated with skins and fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel for 12-14 days at 79ºF
  • Malolactic fermentation in tank
  • Aged at least 6 months before release
Winemaker's Notes

“Vale” is the sisters’ nickname for Valentina Marrone, the winemaker at Marrone. The term “Che Vale” also means “what a value!” Bright color. Fresh rose and violet, followed by vibrant cherry and raspberry with subtle herbal aromas. Lively and well balanced, supported by freshness and seamless tannins on the long, clean finish.

Wine Summary

100% Nebbiolo; alcohol: 14%; hilly estate Maddona di Como vineyards; vines planted in 1995 at 1300 feet; Southeast exposure; soils clay with quartz and fine limestone with alternating sandstone layers; hand harvested first week of October; pressing and fermentation in stainless steel for 12 -14 days at 79ºF; malolactic fermentation in stainless; aged at least 6 months before release; “Vale” is winemaker Valentina Marrone’s nickname, and “Che Vale” means “What a value!”

Technical Information
  • 100% Nebbiolo
  • Alcohol: 14%
  • Total Acidity: 5.06 g/l
  • Extract 27.5 g/l

Reviews

17 Points

Full bottle 1,314 g. Vinified in stainless steel.
Pale and bright cherry red. Smells rather lovely, of musky cherries, ripe and glowing red. So much fruit that it’s splashing scarlet up the walls. Tannins like teeny velvet ribbons. So scrumptious. This is the playful soul-child of Nebbiolo. 2026 – 2030

JancisRobinson.com, January, 2026

General Info

Country Italy
Region Piedmont
Appellation(s) Barolo DOCG; Langhe DOC
Proprietors Gian Piero Marrone
Founded 1887
Winemaker Valentina Marrone
Annual Production 4600 9L cases
Farming (Sustainable, organic, biodynamic) Farmed using organic principles