Marcarini Winery

Marcarini was founded in the 1850s in the province of Cuneo. Today the winery is owned by Manuel Marchetti with Armando Cordero acting as the winemaker. Marcarini currently has 42 acres under vine including several grand, historical crus whose Dolcetto vines are the oldest in Italy.

Points of Differentiation

• Crafting Barolos that are ideally poised between traditional and modern
• Estate Grown, Estate Bottled
• The winery is now in its sixth generation
• One of the very first in the area to designate single vineyards on its labels
• The oldest Dolcetto vines in Italy

The History

Manuel Marchetti and his late wife, Luisa, have overseen the family winery since 1990, with Manuel responsible for sales & promotions, Luisa managed the vineyard and with consultant oenologist Armando Cordero orchestrating the wines.

Founded by Luisa’s great-great-great-grandfather, the estate was one of the very first in the area to designate single vineyards on its labels (as early as the 1950s). In fact, one of Marcarini’s superb, historical crus is the 100-year-old Boschi di Berri, whose Dolcetto vines are the oldest in Italy, the only ones to have survived phylloxera and maintained original rootstock.

The building itself, adjoining a medieval tower, goes back to the 1700s, and the cool, ancient underground cellars provide an ideal environment for the wines’ classic élevage.

Classic, in fact, is a keyword in the Marcarini philosophy. Ideally poised between traditional and modern, the wines are both voluptuous, embracing in style and with superb longevity, and have the blockbuster structure of Piedmont’s best.

Today, the sixth generation, comprised of Andrea, Chiara, and Elisa Marchetti has begun to take an active role in the winery’s activities.

Andrea received his degree in Business and Economics and now works with his father running the business side of the winery. Chiara is a chef with an eye towards setting up a Marcarini restaurant at the family Agriturismo, and Elisa finished the University of Viticulture and Oenology Science, just like her mother did; today she takes care of the vineyards and wines.

The Terroir

The exceptional vineyards, all estate-owned, are the real heart of the winery. The excellent locations, steepness of the slopes and nature of the terrain, exposure to the sunlight, and exceptional microclimate, are not only conducive to making top wines but also to maintain non-aggressive, natural vineyard management. The total surface under vine is 49 of the estate’s 62 acres.

The Marcarini vineyards are exclusively native, planted with grape types born and bred in the Langhe hills. The Nebbiolo grapes for Barolo grow within the 11-original nucleus, high on the rolling terroir of La Morra: two celebrated, contiguous crus, Brunate and La Serra, are close to the Marcarini home and winery.