This is, in my opinion, the best Barolo QPR. You can find it for under $50 and is generally excellent. I also like the La Serra, but this is usually better IMO. The '04 is a delicious wine with seriously deep, red-fruit and earth smouldering nebbiolo flavors enlivened by the proverbial tar/rose aspect. Definitely one for the Burg glass, as this is aromatic and needs to be sniffed for a while before tasting. If people are looking for a serious entry point into Barolo, this is a good one. Just give the flavor profile time to develop and impress itself upon you. The notion that young Barolo is a brutish wine is absurd.
Love this wine. The 05 is no slouch either.
Thanks for the note.
Cheers,
Kent
Chris, thanks for the note, I love Macarini too. I will keep mine longer as I like them with more bottle age.
cheers Brodie
Agree wholeheartedly and should have gone way long on this wine. It was beautiful and open in its youth, I imagine resting gracefuly now, and should be a wine for the ages. Discussing the producers of Brunate with Marc de Grazia recently, he was quite eloquent in his praise of Marcarini
I have only some of the '04 Marcarini La Serra, which was also wonderful in its youth. I’m letting the other two bottles sit, though.
Here are my notes:
A beautiful wine - the nose shows the sweet anise, violets, rose petals, and sweet fruits that the '04’s are happily known for. Bright and fresh overall. Silky on the palate, more bright fruits, a building midpalate, and a wall of tannic structure at the tail end. All the components are here for a blockbuster wine in at least 10 years - I will look forward to the rest in probably 12-15 years…
Thanks for the heads-up. I just ordered a case ($39.95/btl for full case orders) from Empire Wines in Albany, NY.
Nice notes,Chris.The 04,along with just about every Brunate from a good vintage,is a wonderful expression of Brunate,but…The notion that young Barolo is a brutish wine is absurd is a bit much.Many a young Barolo is difficult to enjoy,harsh,unyielding and monolithic,but some aren’t depending on time tasted after release,but very few just refuse to shut down.The 98 Monprivato,however,was one of those…
With my experience, Barolo is quite lovely in most good vintages upon release, like '04 was - just spectacular, really. It also seems, in my limited experience, that MOST will have a shut down phase afterwards, and when they are ready for business again can vary from 2 years to 50 years!
I generally do not drink the Marcarini wines on the young side so I really have no opinion on whether they are brutish or not. That being said these wines cruise to 15 years of age effortlessly.
Tom
I still have one of the 1985 Marcarini Barolo Riserva La Serra left. I think I originally had 6 each of the Brunate, La Serra, and La Serra Riserva from 85. The last bottle of the 85 Brunate I had a couple years ago was still beautiful. Shared it blind with 2 Burgundy lovers, one of whom was sure it was Burgundy, the other just kept saying “Yes, but no.”
Lovely, authentic wines, year in, year out.
I ordered 4 bottles of the 2000, two 750s and two 375s. When the delivery came, there were 4 of each. I decided that it was a sign from heaven that I should own more of them, so I kept them all. I opened one last year. Still a baby but an excellent wine. Truffles, herbs, red fruit and that classic barolo road tar/creosote. People ask me how could creosote taste good. It’s hard to explain, but this is a good example.