2011 Barolo Marcenasco

The Ratti family has done a terrific job with its well-priced 2011 Barolo Marcenasco. The wine shows ripe fruit at the beginning, but the intensity of the bouquet quickly finds good balance with just a few swift swirls of the glass. Those aromas are painted in broad brush strokes with thick lines of black fruit, spice, rose and anise seed. It shows moderate complexity, but just enough to keep your interest as the wine continues to shift and evolve in the glass. In all, Barolo Marcenasco exhibits a plush, fruit-forward style with soft tannins and rich texture. It is best for near and medium-term drinking.

The 2011 Barolo Marcenasco is a huge, textured wine. Leather, smoke, sage, dark cherries, rosemary and black fruit meld together in an ample, resonant Barolo endowed with massive depth and richness. This is a decidedly overt, opulent Barolo, but oddly enough, the French oak is better integrated than in the 2010. I tasted the 2011 from tank, just prior to bottling.

The Ratti family has done a terrific job with its well-priced 2011 Barolo Marcenasco. The wine shows ripe fruit at the beginning, but the intensity of the bouquet quickly finds good balance with just a few swift swirls of the glass. Those aromas are painted in broad brush strokes with thick lines of black fruit, spice, rose and anise seed. It shows moderate complexity, but just enough to keep your interest as the wine continues to shift and evolve in the glass. In all, Barolo Marcenasco exhibits a plush, fruit-forward style with soft tannins and rich texture. It is best for near and medium-term drinking. Jun 2015, www.robertparker.com