Barolo Marcenasco DOCG 2019 Renato Ratti

From vineyards just outside this modern winery with external wood paneling and sleek architectural lines at the bottom of the La Morra ascent, this is Ratti's best-known wine and also its biggest production with 70,000 bottles made. The 2019 Barolo Marcenasco shows the benefits of a stylistic rejigger that prizes subdued elegance and finesse. The wine is visibly leaner in appearance and it opens to ethereal tones of blue flower, dried cherry, blood orange and chalky mineral. These little tweaks have opened an exciting new chapter for Marcenasco.

This is very refined and integrated with lots of chewy tannins but they are melted into the wine. Flowers, strawberry and dried orange character. Some candied strawberry and watermelon, too. It lacks a tiny amount in the center palate, but still all there. Drink after 2026.

A firm, elegant red marked by haunting aromas of rose, cherry and spices. Supple and beautifully balanced, with strawberry and cherry flavors shaded by underbrush and white pepper. Shows fine length, with a hint of licorice. Best from 2025 through 2042.

The 2019 Barolo Marcenasco will delight Ratti fans. It offers up a compelling mix of sweet red-toned fruit, blood orange, mint, white pepper and cedar in a super-classic style that has not been seen here in a very long time. Medium in body and translucent, with fine balance, the 2019 is a winner.

Ratti appears to be a bit in transition these days. The Barolos have moved towards a more midweight classic style than in the recent past, but not all the wines are there just yet. There is a new Barolo from the Serradenari cru this year, while the Conca will now be released later, as a Riserva.