The historic Marchesi di Barolo cellars are located in the town of Barolo, in the building overlooking the famous Castle of the Marquis Falletti. It is here that more than 200 years ago the estate’s story began.

Beginning precisely in 1807, in Paris, when the Marquis of Barolo Carlo Tancredi Falletti married Juliette Colbert de Maulévrier, a French noblewoman and the great granddaughter of the Sun King’s well-known Minister of Finance.

Juliette saw the great potential of the wine made in Barolo that, after fermentation and long aging in wood, would reveal all the qualities typical of the soil and of the Nebbiolo grape, with its power, richness, spice and mineral austerity.

Today the Abbona Family continues the work that began more than two centuries ago producing traditional, high quality wines meant for ageing. While not considered an icon estate in Piedmont terms, it is a universally famous winery with good stocks of older bottles still fairly plentiful on the broking market.

Tasting Note: A fine bright rim of garnet red. Nose is beautifully classical showing coffee bean, burnt orange peel, red cherry skins, peppercorns and pot pourri spice. Lovely raw meat savoury notes of blood and iron. Palate is polished and silky, with tannins showing a hint of spicy bite but are generally sweet, suave and resolved. Dipping my nose back into my Zalto glass reveals more gun powder and smokey gravelly notes. The palate continues to sweeten up the more time the wine sits in the glass. I’m looking for that tantalising moment when the wine blossoms, peaks, then starts to recede and fade as it inevitably will. This wine is a tertiary treasure trove of evolving aromas and flavours. Intriguing macadamia nut spice and red cherry notes lead the wine to a savoury, elegant mineral laden grippy finish. A snap shot of history….and my vintage of course. (Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)