Manuel Marinacci
マヌエル・マリナッチ
Old-school Barbaresco from a single 4ha Langhe plot
Manuel Marinacci is a first-generation Piedmontese winemaker who trained at Alba's Umberto I viticultural school and worked in Diano d'Alba, Barolo, Umbria, and Champagne before returning to the Langhe in 2002 to lease his first vines. His first vintage was released in 2004. The estate today comprises a single 4-hectare plot in San Rocco Seno d'Elvio, a lesser-known Barbaresco hamlet just outside Alba, of which 1.5 hectares lie within the celebrated Rocche Massalupo MGA. Marinacci makes just three wines — Dolcetto d'Alba, Barbera d'Alba, and Barbaresco — bottling roughly 30,000 bottles a year only from fruit he deems worthy of carrying his name; the remainder of the harvest is sold off as grapes. His Barbaresco is fermented in cement without temperature control using selected yeasts, then aged for two years in large Slavonian oak botti, a deliberately old-school approach that lets the Nebbiolo's fruit and structure speak for themselves.
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Who Is This For?
For collectors of traditional, unfiltered Piedmont winemaking who want Barbaresco with authentic structure rather than a polished, international style.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is Manuel Marinacci located?
- The estate is in San Rocco Seno d'Elvio, a little-known hamlet within the Barbaresco appellation just outside Alba, in Italy's Piedmont region.
- How large is the Manuel Marinacci estate?
- Manuel Marinacci farms a single 4-hectare plot, of which 1.5 hectares lie within the renowned Rocche Massalupo MGA (cru) of Barbaresco.
- What wines does Manuel Marinacci produce?
- The estate makes only three wines: Dolcetto d'Alba, Barbera d'Alba, and Barbaresco, totaling roughly 30,000 bottles a year.
- What is Manuel Marinacci's winemaking philosophy?
- A deliberately traditional approach: Barbaresco is fermented in cement without temperature control using selected yeasts and aged for two years in large Slavonian oak botti, and only grapes deemed worthy of the estate's name are bottled under it.
- What food does Manuel Marinacci's Barbaresco pair with?
- Classic pairings include risotto with porcini mushrooms and braised meats, though the producer himself is known to enjoy his Barbaresco with barbecue.