"The Margherita Otto 2016 Barolo (with 3,600 bottles produced) is a firm and tightly knit expression with a solid center of gravity. The wine offers a dark and robust textural fabric with a pretty interlay of dark fruit, dried cherry, plum, licorice, crushed rock and balsam herb. You get the full package of Nebbiolo aromas, presented with elegance grace and careful balance. Thanks to that slightly darker character, I'd pair this pretty Barolo with an autumnal dish served locally that involves white truffles from Alba"
What importer Polaner Selections has to say about this wine...
VARIETALSNebbioloVINEYARDSourced from from vineyards in Monforte d'Alba, Serralunga d'lba and Castiglione Falletto. The sites in Monforte and Castiglione Falletto are estate -farmed and the site in Serralunga is purchased fruit from a grower family who is a close friend.ORIENTATIONThe site in Monforte abuts the Ginestra cru and is a .50 hectare parcel at 470-500m in elevation. In Castiglione Falletto the parcel is .25 hectare in the Pernanno cru. It is a steep slope at 240-290m in elevation. In Serralunga the .2 hecatare siteSOILThe soil in Monforte is heavy with a high percentage of clay mixed with moderate sand content. In Castilgione Falletto the soil is more sandy. In Serralunga the soil is clay with small amounts of sand.VITICULTUREHand-harvested.VINIFICATIONFermented with the taditional assemblaggio method where all of the fruit from each vineyard is fermented together. Harvest dates in 2015 were between October 1 and 10. Vinification and initial wood aging was at a cantina where I was able to rent tank and cask space. As grapes arrived, they were added to the fermenting mass in a continuous ferment, i.e., the 3 vineyards were co-fermented. The wine was dry about 9 days after the last addition of fruit and was macerated for additional time with cappello sommerso. Total skin contact was about 45 days. Press wine was immediately mixed in with the free-run wine.AGINGThe wine was racked off the skins into a single Slavonian oak botte (cask) of 25hl and leftovers were put in glass damijane. A first rack off the rough lees was performed after a week. Malo began immediately and was complete after 18 days. A second racking was performed about a week after the malo was complete. The wine was racked again after a year. After 2 years in botte at the rented cellar, the wine was transferred to the newly completed Azienda Agricola Margherita Otto cellar in Monforte d’Alba in December 2017 and spent an additional year in a single French oak Mittelberger botte of 25hl and a single old barrique. The wine was assembled in a single steel tank a week before bottling.PRODUCTIONBottling was 28 February 2019. A total of 2608 bottles, 490 magnums and 12 double-magnums were produced. The wine will be released in late May 2019.
