Marco Porello

I have been looking for a producer in the Roero (see Glossary) for some time, mainly because I like to drink Arneis (see Glossary), and that's principly where it comes from. They also make some very good red wines, Barbera and Nebbiolo, in a forward, attractive style that is good for drinking young while you wait for your Barolos to come of age.

One of the many producers I tasted with was the young Marco Porello, whose wines I found very well-made but lacking in concentration. At the 2002 Vinitaly trade fair Marco grabbed me and dragged me over to his stand. He had reduced his yields in the vineyards and wanted me to taste the new wines. The difference in the Arneis was obvious, with very good richness and depth of flavor, and the reds were spot-on as well. I am delighted to import the wines of this rising star of the Roero.

Arneis
Pale yellow with a green glint; hard-to-define aroma of grass, herbs, tangerine, and wet stones; medium-weight in the mouth with good lively acidity and a long, very clean finish. Good general-purpose aperitif or wine for antipasti, some salame, some olives...

Click here to read a stellar review from the Wall Street Journal.

Barbera d'Alba 'Butti'
This wine shows very good concentration of fruit (raspberries) with the lively acidity of Barbera tied together with well-integrated oak aging; it is on a par with much more expensive bottlings from Barolo producers. Barbera is a very versatile food wine, being very low in tannin and having good bright acidity.

Roero Nebbiolo
The Roero area is becoming known for a forward, accessible version of the Nebbiolo grape. Typically these wines (called simply 'Roero') are less tannic than versions from the Barolo zone, strawberryish, and often show a cocoa note from aging in smaller wood. Marco's is top-knotch; drink now with lamb or age for 3-5 years for more complexity.