Mario Marengo

Mario Marengo is a small, family-run estate based in La Morra, one of the principal communes of the Barolo DOCG zone in Piedmont, northwestern Italy. The estate produces red wines exclusively from Nebbiolo, the grape that defines Barolo and is widely regarded as one of Italy's most demanding and site-sensitive varieties.

Barolo is produced in the Langhe hills south of Alba, where Nebbiolo expresses itself very differently depending on soil composition. The La Morra and Barolo communes tend to sit on Tortonian soils — more calcareous and compact — which generally yield wines with pronounced aromatics and relatively more accessible tannins in their youth compared to the sandier Helvetian soils of Serralunga d'Alba or Castiglione Falletto. Wines from this appellation require a minimum of 38 months ageing before release, at least 18 of which must be in oak, with Riserva wines held for a minimum of 62 months. The result is always a wine of considerable structure, with characteristic aromas of dried roses, tar, leather, and red fruit.

The range includes wines from two named single vineyards: Bricco delle Viole, a high-elevation site in the La Morra commune, and Brunate, a historically significant cru straddling La Morra and the town of Barolo itself. Brunate is among the more celebrated sites in the appellation, known for producing wines of depth and longevity.