Michael Robinson

It is April 1, and my wife and I are sitting with friends of many years — Neil, Maria and Tara Empson and their marketing director Phil Langford.

It is their firm, based in Milan, that supplies us with a major part of our Italian portfolio. We are dining at Ribot, a restaurant named after one of the greatest race horses of all time whose winnings enabled his owner to open this establishment renowned for grilled meats and Tuscan gastronomy. Neil tells me that it was here that the very first Super Tuscan wine was served.

During dinner a magnum of Marcarini Barolo Brunate 2004 is opened and poured and, as I sniffed and sipped, I admit my eyes misted over with emotion as I realised that in a few days I would be standing on the very soil and breathing the very air that helped create this glorious wine.

The following Monday, our GPS system decided to co-operate (sadly not always the case over the next 2,000 miles or so of driving) and as we climbed the steep hill up to the ancient Roman town of La Morra, a pleasant female voice announced that we had reached our destination and put us right in front of a pair of large iron gates. As they opened, we were greeted by Manuel Marchetti who runs this family winery founded in the 1850s. He assures its continuation with his 24-, 22- and 21-year-old offspring. How wonderful it was to see our old friend and be introduced to his son.

Now we are in an area no larger than Napa Valley but there are over 900 barolo producers, and 400 make barbaresco. These hillside plots are so steep that tractors or mechanical picking machines cannot be used. With the average landholding of only two hectares, it could be said that Piedmont is the Burgundy of Italy whereas Tuscany, with large estates, is the Bordeaux.

After a tour of their 17th century cellars — connected to a medieval tower — we go to their tasting room and taste, as I also furiously scribble notes; there is always so much to learn. We presently stock five of their wines and due to the weaker Euro, we have fortunately made a substantial reduction in their prices. I tell Manual that I normally describe their Brunate Vineyard as masculine and their La Serra as feminine. He suggests that this may offend some of our female associates and he now prefers to refer to them as brother and sister. Anyway, we presently stock the Marcarini Barolo Brunate 2011 that rates a 94/100 from James Suckling who writes: “Rich and flavourful with red plum, dried orange peel and a chocolate finish. Full body, round tannins and a savoury finish.”

I would add mentholated or balsamic notes, incense, sage leaves and liquorice, with a sturdy yet velvety structure. Manual tells me that as barolo ages it changes from liquorice to tobacco and finally that telltale hint of tar so typical with these lovely wines. $47.35

Marcarini Barolo La Serra 2011 is also $47.35 and also garnered 94/100 from Suckling, but here is what well-known critic Antonio Galloni had to say: “Classy and polished to the core. Sweet flower notes meld into kirsch, red cherry and raspberry. This is one of the more floral-lifted barolos of the vintage while the structure tends towards the lighter end of the spectrum. Crushed flowers, mint and spices are all laced into the super-expressive finish framed by classically austere La Serra tannins.”

Until it was surpassed by sangiovese, the barbera grape was the most widely planted in Italy. Our Marcarini Barbera d’Alba 2012 is a very food-friendly wine that would honour red-meat dishes like lamb or beef and of course, pasta and pizza. $19.20.

Dolcetto is the wine that many enjoy regularly in this region and we have Marcarini Dolcetto d’Alba Fontanazza 2012 for $17.90. No oak is used in order to preserve the fresh, fruity easy-to-drink style and it offers lovely fruity sensations and sweet spices.

For those of you that enjoy a wine with dessert or just like the sweet style of moscato, we have the real article here with Marcarini Moscato d’Asti 2015 for $18.90.

I will finish by explaining why I often use the word “friends” when referring to business associates. Everyone mentioned today, (with the exception of Manual’s young son), has wined and dined in our home and loves Bermuda. In fact, everyone that we visited during a week in Piedmont has done so. Here is how it happened:

About 15 years ago Neil and Maria organised a group of top barolo producers to tour the United States. They stopped off in Bermuda and my wife was not daunted by the prospect of entertaining them — along with about 50 of our Italian community in our home. I remember Emilio Barbieri (of Little Venice Group renown) stirring the risotto at our kitchen island while other well-known restaurant folks watched the salmon in our oven and others monitored the outside grill. We had a wonderful night of great wines and food. Such is the life of a wine merchant.

• This column is a paid-for advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or 295-0176. Burrows Lightbourn has stores in Hamilton (Front Street East, 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits is available online at www.wineonline.bm