Mario Marengo is one of Barolo’s most stalwart producers.  First from a tiny cantina right on the main road through La Morra and now further up the hill in Serradenari, this small estate has been making great wine since 1899.  Currently run by the late Mario’s genial son Marco, Marco’s lovely wife Jenny, and their son Stefano, M. Marengo remains one of the top finds in the Langhe.  With old vine holdings in both Brunate and Bricco delle Viole as well as scattered other parcels throughout the La Morra growing region, Marco, Stefano and consulting enologist Beppe Ca’Viola have great material with which to work and together produce around 3000 cases of wine annually with about 1000 being a Barolo cuvee many consider one of the best values in the region. While the Barolo Normale is great, it’s the Marengos’ small holding in Bricco delle Viole (the hilltop of violets!) that really captures our imagination.  Only a few producers get to work the grapes from this great site on a steep incline at the southern end of La Morra, the Vairas being, of course, the 400 pound gorilla of the MGA.  Marco’s vines were planted in 1955 and, in 2020, he made a wine that captures the lushness and fine fruity veneer of La Morra’s sun-drenched terroir with a vividness that keeps the proceedings fresh and mouth-watering.  Marco is an amazing taster, and going through his new cellar (he moved out of those cramped downtown quarters back in 2011) with him is an incredible experience.  His ability to identify and define the different flavors of each barrel makes him an incredible blender too.  Here is La Morra’s black cherry confit, sandalwood and cinnamon stick in beautiful relief as well as the ‘scorched earth’ of La Morra’s blue clay and hot gravel, coming together perfectly at the end.  If there’s a poster child for the 2020 vintage in La Morra, one that shows all of the attributes of this very classic vintage, it is this wine.  Drink it now (decanted) for its hedonism or cellar for the next decade to watch it develop.  

James Suckling: Really beautiful and so clear and vivid. Plum, peach, strawberry and stone aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied with clear and poised fruit and fine and polished tannins and a refined and crafted finish. Already so beautiful to taste (drink) but there’s such balance and presence in the wine. Drink after 2028 but hard not to touch now. 97 points

Wine Advocate: This MGA is located on the steep hill that rises from Barolo toward the village of La Morra, and vines sit between 390 to 480 meters in elevation. The M. Marengo 2020 Barolo Bricco delle Viole offers a delicate bouquet with proverbial violet-like aromas that filter through redcurrant and ripe cherry. There is a hint of something spicy in this vintage that recalls pink peppercorn or toasted herb. The tannins are strong, and there's good acidity with a velveteen close. 95 points