La Morra is one of the most sought-after Barolo villages in the Langhe and Agricola Marrone has been producing outstanding wines in Piedmont for generations. It’s the fourth generation running the show today: sisters Denise, Serena and Valentina. The family motto has always been “Tradition, with an eye to the future” ever since Pietro Marrone introduced modern cultivation methods to the vineyards – this was at the beginning of the 20th century! Every care is taken to ensure the quality of the wines, and there have been continuous improvements in vineyard management and a focus on biodiversity and sustainability. The grapes are all still hand-picked to make sure every bunch is perfectly ripe, then transported to the winery on sleds to avoid them being bounced about and squashed on the back of a trailer!
The wines are supremely drinkable, lacking the aggressive tannins present in many wines from the region. The ‘Tre Fie Arneis’ is a real hit and is a firm favourite of Jon’s. Not because it’s called ‘Tre Fie’ (he too has three daughters), but because it delivers everything we love in a white wine: fragrance, tension, texture and intrigue. Each sip reveals another note. We’re in Barolo country where Nebbiolo rightly grabs the best plots. This is made from a plot of Arneis, planted in 1975, with a trendy fermentation involving 5 hours of skin-contact and extended lees-ageing to provide all that texture. White peach and citrus aromas with a touch of hazelnut. Amazing energy on the palate, with peach fruit, lemon sherbet with a tantalising shift from creamy, to zesty, to bitter, to ripe. And then notes of fennel and wild herbs appear to make you grin from ear to ear.
As for the reds, there is an impressive array from Dolcetto and Barbera, to Langhe Nebbiolo and Barolo, with a special mention for the stars of the show, the single vineyard Barolos. They are juicy, accessible and astoundingly priced for the quality.
