A few quick thoughts on the 2014 Rivetto Barbaresco from the Marcarini vineyard.
The Geekery
The Rivetto family has been producing wine in the Langhe region for four generations. Their origins began with Giovanni who made wine for a food shop in Asti in the late 19th century. Today the family’s estate includes 15 ha (37 acres) of vines based in the Serralunga d’Alba region of Barolo. Giovanni’s great-grandson, Enrico, runs the winery.
In 2009, Enrico started moving his family’s estate towards organic viticulture with Rivetto certified entirely by 2013. In 2015, the estate subsequently started experimenting with biodynamics.
However, the fruit for the 2014 Marcarini is sourced from a grower who practices organic viticulture.
Alessandro Masnaghetti’s very excellent book on the vineyards of Barbaresco, Barbaresco MGA, notes that the Marcarini cru is surrounded by the crus of Ferrere (northeast), Vallegrande (east), Casot (southeast) and Pajorè (southwest).
Other producers who source fruit from Marcarini include Marcarini (actually based in La Morra in the Barolo zone), Ca’ del Baio, Elvio Pertinace, Giuseppe e Figlio Mascarello and Nada Giuseppe.
The Wine
This Barbaresco is very spice-driven, especially on the nose.
High-intensity nose. Lots of spice going on ranging from tobacco spice to the fruitcake spices of cardamom, nutmeg and allspice. Also a little black pepper as well. Underneath the spice is some red fruit and herbal notes. Not quite defined yet.
On the palate, those spices carry through with the red fruit becoming more defined as cherries. High acidity amplifies their presence and makes the wine very mouthwatering. Medium-plus tannins are somewhat soft for a Nebbiolo but balance the medium-plus bodied fruit well. Moderate finish brings back the herbal notes. However, the mouthwatering cherry lingers the most.
The Verdict
The softness of the tannins for this relatively young Barbaresco surprised me. However, it certainly has the acid and fruit structure to continue developing.
At $40-50, it’s a decent value for a spicy wine that is enjoyable now. But really you are banking on its potential to deliver a lot more.