IT-LUP-22-17
Barolo 'Marenca', Luigi Pira
- There are just two cantinas that produce estate-bottled wine from the six-ha Marenca cru: Luigi Pira and Gaja. Pira has the largest holding in this cru with 2.2ha
- 100% Nebbiolo from 30-year-old vines grown at 350 meters in calcareous clay soils with a south-southwest exposure
- Fermentation and maceration on the skins for 7-10 days
- Aged for one year in 500-liter tonneaux and one year in 2,500-liter Slavonian oak cask, plus one year in bottle before release
Producer:
Vintage:
2017
Country:
Italy
Region:
Piedmont
Appellation:
Barolo
Variety:
Nebbiolo
Color:
Red
Farming Practice:
Practicing Organic
Press & Reviews
Wine Advocate
Score:
93
Date:
2021-06-17
James Suckling
Score:
96
Date:
2021-06-01
2016
parker
Score:
94
Date:
2020-07-23
Review:
You don't see too many wines from the Marenca cru in Serralunga d'Alba, and in fact, looking through the Wine Advocate database, I only see past vintages from this single producer, Luigi Pira. The 2016 Barolo Marenca offers an accessible and open-knit personality with bold, dark fruit and distinctive mineral tones that range from crushed stone to rusty metal. The Marenca aging regime sees a combination of neutral French tonneaux and Slavonian botte grande, and that wood has served mostly to enhance balance and integration. Some 9,000 bottles were produced.
vinous media
Score:
95
Date:
2020-06-30
Review:
The 2016 Barolo Marenca is powerful, deep and richly constituted, but also reflects Giampaolo Pira's move towards a style that showcases a good deal of Nebbiolo translucence. Swaths of Marenca tannin wrap around a core of intense red fruit, iron, menthol, anise and dried herbs. As always, Marenca has that extra kick of fruit density and richness that works so well to play off its considerable tannic clout.
2013
spectator
Score:
92
Date:
2018-02-28
Review:
Notes of menthol, medicinal herbs, juniper and eucalyptus swirl around the ripe cherry flavors in this aromatic Barolo, supported by a tough layer of tannins. Extends nicely on the finish, where the underbrush elements echo. Best from 2022 through 2036. 550 cases made, 150 cases imported.
vinous media
Score:
93+
Date:
2017-10-01
Review:
The 2013 Barolo Marenca is dark, plush and inviting. As always, the Marenca is a Barolo of notable textural breadth and volume. Hints of mocha, leather, spice and grilled herbs add aromatic nuance to the dark-fleshed Nebbiolo fruit, but it is the wine's structure and overall depth that stand out most. Pira's Marenca has a way of developing beautifully in bottle and often surprises over time. I would cellar it for at least a few years.
