TDG Wine Camp: Barolo Royalty-Marcarini

[Craig Camp]

But as he strolls in the crisp fall air, his nose fills with the unmistakable odor of vinegar: something is very, very wrong.

Click here for Wine Camp: Barolo Royalty - Marcarini

Be sure to check The Daily Gullet home page daily for new articles (most every weekday), hot topics, site announcements, and more.

[Craig Camp]

In response to my request Manuel Marchetti hs provided us with this extended explanation of clonal selection in La Morra and the entire Barolo region.

The Nebbiolo variety has three “sub-varieties”, the “lampia”, “michet” and “rosé”.  The division in this three kinds depends upon the characteristics of the vine (fruit and leafs, perfumes, color, quantity obtained, skin, ecc.).

Such a division is the result of what men found as a state of fact from all the vineyards of the past. In fact, when they plant or re-plant a new vineyard you graft the american rootstock with the gems obtained from the existing vineyards, many times they reproduced a vine with viruses.

From such “sub-varieties” the scientists worked selecting the best vine or, the vine that gives the result you want, and then they reproduced it obtaining a new selection (a clone).  To the new selection they give it a name to recognize it form the rest of the vines of the same “sub-varieties”.

For example:  from the “michet” sub-variety we have clones named  CVT63, CVT66, CVT71 etc., or from “lampia” we have Rauscedo 1, CN142, etc..

Today when you decide to re-plant a vineyard you choose from the clones that are available, and we choose more clones so we have vines with different characteristics. You will choose the clones depending upon, the quantity obtained per vine, the weight of the bunch, the acidity, the perfumes, the sugar, the color contents, etc..

So when I said that “most of the original clones are dead” I didn’t meant that the “sub-varieties” lampia, michet and rosé have disappeared, but that today we do not consider them when we re-plant a vineyard.

Today we choose from the different clones depending on their specific characteristic in order to obtain a balance among the different microclimats that you will find in the same vineyard, and this is very important on the hilly areas.

Regarding that in La Morra most of the clones were Lampia, it is difficult to prove.

In fact in the past when they plant or re-plant a vineyard, they reproduce the gems form an existing vineyard or they buy the vines from a store that gave them the three sub-varieties or the one that was more available on that particular year.

Another important issue is the rootstock selection, but this is a different matter.

Their selection depends on the exposition and the structure of the soil. Today we mainly use the 420A, SO4, Kober 5BB, etc.

[Andre]

Mouthwatering and thorough.

I have tasted several producers from that area noteably Rinaldi and Vietti

Marchetti's wines are on my "must get" list.

Thank you both very much.

[DaleW]

Another thing about the Marcarini wines is the value, at least by Barolo standards. I've picked up '98 & '99 La Serra and Brunate at prices that ranged from $33 to $40. Certainly not cheap, but not bad prices for wines that have the potential longevity and clear quality these do.

Thanks for the explanation of the Lasarin, I saw it offered by my local and wasn't sure what it was.