1999 Barolo La Serra

Manuel Marchetti describes 1999 as a hot year, adding that 2000 was a colder growing season. Rain during the early part of the harvest presented an issue. Most of the fruit was brought in after the rains. Marchetti gave the 1999s a full 45 days of fermentation as the grape skins were quite thick, followed by two years in cask. Marcarini's 1999s are fabulous examples of the structured personality of the year.

Director Manuel Marchetti rates 1999 as even better than 1996, owing to its elegance. Among the recent string of strong years, according to Marchetti, 1999 was the second highest in dry extract to 1997. He described 2000 as a tricky harvest. "Some picked too early because of a bad weather forecast," he told me. "But the skins were thick, and it was possible to let the fruit hang through the rainy period in mid-October. The later-picked stuff may have lost a bit of potential alcohol but it had much more color. Vintage 2000 resembles 1998 in quality, style and structure, even if 1998 witnessed a drier harvest." The Marcarini Barolos still spend a month on their skins, but in recent years the actual length of fermentation has been shorter and an automated system has been used to spray the must onto the cap in order to push the juice through the skins more gently. These are aromatically expressive, stylish Barolos with a history of aging gracefully.