Date of visit: June 6, 2022
About The Producer
When Alan Manley first visited Langhe in February 1995, it was cold, dark, and the days were short. Not exactly ideal visiting conditions for a tourist. Despite all of this, Alan fell in love with the area, and this trip forever changed his life.
Alan was first exposed to wine at a young age. His parents enjoyed wine a great deal, and therefore they always had wine around the house. Alan was raised in New York, but eventually moved to Colorado and in 1997 founded “Primitivo”, a wine bar/restaurant, and in 2003 “VintageSpec”, “a company to build, fill and manage the private cellars of individual collectors”.
After Alan’s 1995 trip to Langhe, he made a point to visit the area every year. Beginning in 2008 he began working the harvest yearly to learn more about winemaking and vineyard management, each year with a different winemaker. During this time, Alan worked alongside some of Langhe’s greatest winemakers; Luciano Sandrone, Elio Altare, Maria Teresa Mascarello, Alfio and Giuseppe Cavallotto, and Marco Marengo. In 2011 Alan moved to Italy permanently, and shortly thereafter, was offered a job by Maria Teresa Mascarello to help out around the cantina. Alan happily accepted, and worked there until late 2021. These experiences were truly a dream come true for any Barolo-lover, and served as Alan’s foundation into the world of winemaking.
While working at Cantina Bartolo Mascarello, Alan had dreams of producing his own wine, and he began doing so in 2012. He rented a tiny section of Nebbiolo vines, and began producing super small batches of what was essentially Barolo. This wine couldn’t legally be labeled as Barolo, because Alan hadn’t formalized this operation as a business just yet, so technically this was for personal consumption only, and not commercial sale. Alan did this for 3 vintages, and then in late 2014 acquired new vineyard sites (some of which was rented and some of which was purchased) in prime locations. In 2015, Alan founded Margherita Otto, and bottled his first official Barolo vintage. In 2017 Alan finished construction on a small, but extremely impressive, state-of-the-art cellar underneath his home in Monforte d’Alba. Today, this is where all winemaking for Margherita Otto takes place.
Alan’s winemaking methods are quite similar to that of his mentors, in that it’s very traditional, with an emphasis on producing quality, artisanal made wines. Alan farms just one grape, Nebbiolo, which is used to produce Langhe Nebbiolo, Barolo, Barolo Chinato, and a super small production of Rosato which is just for personal consumption. Fermentation for these wines takes place in large, lined, concrete tanks, without temperature control, using indigenous yeasts only. Maceration is done via the submerged cap method, and wines are aged in large oak casks. The large wooden casks, or “botti”, are made by the renowned cooper Mittelberger, located in Bolzano, Italy. All the wood for the botti is neutral French oak and sourced from sustainably managed forests in Alsace.
Just like Cantina Bartolo Mascarello where Alan worked for roughly 10 years, Alan makes just one Barolo, which is a blend of all of his different vineyard sites. Alan believes that blending different vineyard sites will achieve the best possible Barolo, and therefore he doesn’t produce a “cru”/single vineyard Barolo. The resulting wines are magnificent, and are a beautiful expression of the area’s terroir.
Our Visit To Margherita Otto
We first met Alan during our September 2021 trip to Langhe. We were in Barolo walking past Cantina Bartolo Mascarello, Alan was standing outside, we got to talking, and we hit it off. He invited us to come visit Margherita Otto during our next trip to Langhe, and we happily agreed.
Margherita Otto was the third producer we visited during our trip to Langhe last month. When we arrived, Alan greeted us and gave us a tour of this small, but extremely impressive, state-of-the-art facility. Alan showed us the cement fermentation tanks, as well as the botti where the wines age. He spoke with us about the impressive work that Mittelberger does, and showed us the unbelievable quality of the botti he sources from them. It was an absolute pleasure speaking with Alan. He possesses such vast knowledge of the Langhe, the wines from the region, and the producers. We felt as though we could stay here for hours speaking with Alan, but we were anxious to taste his wines. We began with the 2020 Barolo which was tasted from barrel.
Our Tasting Notes
2020 Barolo (from barrel): Made from a blend of the following vineyard sites; Localita Ginestra (Monforte), Vignane MGA (Barolo), Coste di Rose MGA (Barolo), and a plot in Serralunga located just outside the Vignarionda MGA. Aromas of tar, roses, crushed cherries, raspberries, leather and licorice. Tannins are incredibly well integrated, especially given the wine’s young age. This wine will likely be very accessible and very enjoyable quite young, but will also be capable of lengthy cellaring. Alan believes that this is shaping up to be a classic vintage. We’re looking forward to seeing how this develops, and can’t wait to try it again once it’s bottled.
2019 Barolo (from barrel): Made from the same blend of vineyard sites as the 2020, with the exception of Coste di Rose, which Alan hadn’t yet secured a lease on at this time. Instead of Coste di Rose, the 2019 has fruit from a vineyard in the Pernanno MGA in Castiglione Falletto. Beautiful pronounced aromas of roses front and center lead the way on the nose, which is accompanied by earthy notes of wet leaves and forest floor, along with crushed cherries, crushed raspberries, and leather, most of which carries over to the palate, with a persistent finish. This is shaping up to be another incredible vintage. The 2019s tannins are a bit more austere, we suspect this will likely not be as accessible as the 2020 is in its youth. However, this is a vintage that will for sure reward those who wait. Delicious.
2018 Barolo: Made from the same blend of vineyard sites as 2019. Classic aromas of tar, leather, roses, and crushed cherries. The palate is fruit forward, juicy, and vibrant, filled with notes of anise, tart cherry juice, and rose water. Incredibly accessible and enjoyable today, but is also capable of cellaring, and will for sure develop complexity over the years. This is an amazing expression of the 2018 vintage.
Barolo Chinato: This is only Alan’s first or second vintage (we can’t remember which) producing this wine, and wow, it’s phenomenal. Aromas of mint, leather, baking spices, roses and cacao. The palate is viscous with flavors of mint, rosemary, cherry juice, cacao, and baking spices, along with some espresso and candied sugar. An incredible Barolo Chinato.
Thank You
Thank you, Alan, for the incredible visit. We absolutely loved all of your wines, and we greatly appreciate the time that you spent with us. We look forward to seeing you again very soon, and tasting your wines again in the coming years.
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