Roero Arneis (2022)

About this wine

This Roero Arneis is pale straw yellow in the glass with bright reflections. Aromas recall wildflowers, green apple and white peach, along with acacia blossom and a faint hint of honey and almond. On the palate it is dry, fresh and medium bodied, with vivid stone fruit and citrus flavors that sit over a salty mineral core and lively acidity. The wine is made from 100 percent Arneis grown in Montaldo Roero, on sandy calcareous hillsides that help bring both fragrance and finesse to the fruit. It is fermented and aged only in stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation, so the natural aromatics of the grape stay very pure and the finish feels clean and precise. The grape name Arneis comes from the local dialect for little rascal, a nod to how tricky it is to grow, and this wine shows why it is now one of the signature whites of Roero, combining character, freshness and subtle complexity.

About the grape

Arneis is an old white grape native to Piedmont, especially the Roero hills north of the Tanaro River, and it was nearly abandoned in the twentieth century before growers in Roero led its revival and won Roero Arneis DOCG status in 2004. For Marcarini’s Roero Arneis, the variety is grown in their Muschiavino vineyards in Montaldo Roero, first planted in 1982 on sandy soils rich in marine deposits that naturally suit the grape’s delicate nature. The estate farms Arneis with controlled yields, cover crops between the rows and traditional low impact treatments, which help the vines keep balance in the windy, sun exposed Roero slopes. In this bottling the Arneis is vinified and aged entirely in stainless steel on its lees, a modern approach that preserves the character of this once nearly forgotten local variety while adding texture and complexity.

Quick facts

• 😈 The grape behind this wine, Arneis, means “little rascal” in the local dialect, a nickname it earned for being fussy in the vineyard yet capable of making surprisingly charming, aromatic wines.
• 🌊 The Arneis for Marcarini’s Roero grows on sandy Roero hills rich in ancient marine deposits, so your crisp 2022 white is literally rooted in what used to be a prehistoric seabed.
• ⚪ Marcarini is famous for serious Barolo reds, so this Roero Arneis is their rebellious white outlier, created specifically to show that Piedmont can do characterful, terroir-driven whites too.
• 🏰 The wine is crafted in cellars housed inside an 18th‑century building that leans against a medieval tower in La Morra, so a very modern, stainless‑steel‑fresh Arneis is born under centuries‑old stone.
• 👨‍👩‍👧 Marcarini is a six‑generation family winery, and today the new generation, including daughter‑winemaker Elisa Marchetti, bottles Roero Arneis as a proud symbol of the family’s future rather than just its Barolo past.

Palate profile

Producer

Marcarini is a historic family winery based in the hill town of La Morra in the Langhe area of Piedmont, where its cellars occupy an eighteenth century building beside a medieval tower. The estate traces its roots to around 1850 and has been run for six generations, today guided by the Marchetti family. Marcarini was among the first producers in the area to mention individual vineyards on its labels, highlighting crus such as Brunate and La Serra from the nineteen fifties onward. The property now farms vineyards in both Langhe and Roero, including the Boschi di Berri site whose very old Dolcetto vines are famed for surviving the phylloxera epidemic on their own roots. Alongside the winery, the family also operates an agriturismo in nearby Neviglie which welcomes visitors to stay among the vineyards while exploring the region and its wines.