It is not often a Robert Parker Wine Advocate review for a wine begins with… “although the 2010 Barbaresco Martinenga is sold out, Alberto di Gresy and I wanted to make a record of it in the Wine Advocate database.”

Of course they did! This wine was / is one of the most profound, perfumed, opulent, sculpted Barbaresco’s ever produced at the Gresy Estate in modern times. I recently tracked down a parcel of the half bottles from the said vintage and cracked one to remind myself of the greatness of this wine.

I did of course buy, sell and drink many a 75cl bottle of 2010 Martinenga a few years back, but with the unrelenting pace of the fine wine market, these fast selling iconic wines from top vintages can often get forgotten. So cudos to Monica Larner from the Wine Advocate for ensuring that this great wine has an accessible mass market reference note for global collectors.

Marchesi di Gresy Martinenga Barbaresco 2010, 14 Abv.

2010 will be remembered for the greatest Barolo vintage in decades. But Barbaresco was more variable with some eye wateringly fine wines as well as some less successful wines. But this super Cru in Barbaresco boasts one of the best terroirs in the entire appellation and this 2010 expression has to be one of the best vintages made in recent memory. The nose is super lifted and fragrant boasting complex aromatics of violets, cherry blossom, sweet grilled herbs and cherry tobacco spice interspersed with nuances of dried aniseed root. But it’s the finer details that make this wine so special, the sweet sun dried cherries, red cranberry confit, salty red liquorice and pastis liquor aniseed complexity. The palate is bold and powerful and deliciously intense with the red liquorice intensity coming to the fore intermingled with sweet cherry, salted plums, sweet tobacco and dried tannery leather with a compelling underlay of sultry chalky, earthy, savoury tannins and dried potpourri spice. A triumph of intelligent winemaking that harnesses the true essence of this vineyard’s special terroir. This is a benchmark wine not to be missed. Drink now to 2030 in halves, or age for even longer in bottle. 

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW ) 

(95/100 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate)