2001 Luigi Pira Barolo Marenca

The 2001 Barolo Vigna Marenca is quite powerful and intense, but it also remains heavily marked by French oak. There is plenty in the way of depth and concentration, but less when it comes to elegance. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2014. Giampaolo Pira’s 2001s were quite showy when they were first released. The wines haven’t aged as well as I had expected and today it is pretty clear they need to be drunk up. Ultimately these wines never integrated their French oak. A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including: de Grazia Imports; tel. (417) 732-4200; Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300, Estate Wines Ltd., San Rafael, CA; tel. (415) 492-9411, Robert Houde Wines, Elk Grove Village, IL; tel. (847) 430-3887

The deeply-colored 2001 Barolo Marenca is a show-stopper. With its huge, fragrant nose of toasted oak and tar, the full-throttle Marenca exudes tremendous concentration and delivers flavors of ripe black cherries, chocolate, licorice and spices with notable sustain on the palate and superb length. Despite its size, this is a wine of great balance and harmony. Aged in a combination of barriques and tonneaux, of which 50% are new.

Full red. Complex, mellow nose combines raspberry, cherry, woodsmoke and flowers. Then less fat, sweet and expressive in the mouth than the Margheria, with more obvious oakiness dominating the wine's fruit. Rather unforgiving today, with the tannins currently a bit dry.