A fantastic Barbera, showcasing vibrant red fruit and great acidity. As a bonus, this food-friendly wine comes at a great price point…
Name: Maraia
Vintage: 2017
Producer: Marchesi di Barolo
Region/Country: Piedmont, Italy
Grape Varietal(s): Barbera
Alcohol Level: 14%
Consumed: At home
Recommended By: Purchased at the local liquor board store, the LCBO.
Cost: $19.95 CAD
If you want a more detailed wine review, read on…
Bottle Presentation
A nice combination of red and gray font colours, easily readable yet whimsical and fun. The trio of children give it a family feel.
Appearance
Pale ruby.
Nose
Clean, medium(+) intensity nose, with bright red cherry, strawberry, raspberry, and red currant notes, as well as a touch of sweet vanilla and coconut. A hint of thyme also shines through.
Palate
Dry, medium bodied, high acidity, medium(+) tannins, and high alcohol. Pronounced flavour intensity with notes of vibrant red fruit (cherry, raspberry, and cranberry), resin, dry wood, thyme, and savory spice.
Finish
A long, enjoyable finish.
Overall Impressions
A very good, food-friendly Barbera, with gorgeous acidity. We like Barberas in general, but we particularly appreciated the Maraia’s vibrant red fruit that emerged in the nose and palate. We enjoyed this wine on its own, as well as with chicken parmigiana and a prosciutto, pear, brie, and arugula pizza. A versatile wine for sure that we look forward to pouring again. Our only problem is that it is all sold out at the LCBO (sniff). So we eagerly await the time that we will be able to purchase it again.
Rating: 93/10. Again, a very good Barbera despite the noticeable alcohol. In our opinion, this wine is drinking beautifully now.
E-Wine rating: 4.5/5. We would purchase a half-case of this Barbera, only because we doubt we’d be able to drink a full case in the next year or so (given this wine’s drinking window, which seems to be fully open right now).
Value: 5/5