People have been making wine on the hill under La Morra for close to a
thousand years. Or so it would seem, because the monks of the Priory of
San Martino purchased some land "with a vineyard" in 1162. The
wines must have been good, because the vineyards were listed in Alba's
Registrum throughout the period from 1240 to 1320. Over time the monastery
changed and grew, and by the time Monsignor Chiaromonte came to visit
in the late 1700s it was known as L'Annunziata; when he later became Pius
VII, he had the abbey send wines for his personal consumption.
The monks are gone now, but the vineyards are still there, and still producing
superb wines. Perhaps I shouldn't say still, because following the monks'
departure, there was a long period of darkness which came to an end when
Renato Ratti purchased the land in the 1960s and began working it; his
wines rapidly won respect and admiration, and he also played a major role
in the rebirth of Barolo as a wine-producing region. He has alas crossed
the veil of tears, but the winery continues to prosper under the able
direction of Pietro Ratti, his son, and Massimo Martinelli, his nephew,
who is also president of the Consorzio del Barolo e del Barbaresco.
The Renato Ratti Museum of the Wines of Alba
The Museum, a living compendium of traditions and images, set right beside
the production cellar, was realized in 1971 by Renato Ratti to worthily
crown the work of refining grapes and wines and to foster the good name
and high honor of Alba as an important wine capital of the world.
He gathered within the venerable old walls of the Abbey dell'Annunziata
objects and documents through which the local vines and wines could tell
their age-long story.
Antique vats, an evolutionary series of bottles, pressure corkers, measuring
instruments, wooden ploughs, presses with spiraling wooden screws and
nut screws, a series of fascinating documents (town statutes, harvest
proclamations, rules and regulations for the circulation and commerce
of wine, ordinances) as well as historical and technical outlines of the
zones of origin for all of Alba's great wines.
While drawing in the visitors, the Museum pays respect to the age-old
local traditions and is simultaneously entertaining and didactic.
"There
are three characterizing factors
in the outcome of a great wine: the vine,
the climate and the soil; one factor however
is determinant: man. The connections between
climate, soil and vine are truly complex;
when by a combination of hard work and
serendipity, they reach a perfect balance
(one impossible to evaluate a priori)
we are blessed with wines of
incomparable quality."
Renato Ratti, 1971
Our Vineyards
They are to be found along the hills of Langhe, Roero and Monferrat regions,
all carefully cultivated with the utmost respect for the territory.
In 1965 Renato Ratti purchases the first small Barolo Marcenasco vineyard,
in size approx. two Piedmontese "days" (ancient land measurement
equal to 7,000 m2). Presently overall holdings cover 35 hectares, divided
among 6 properties situated in La Morra, Mango and Costigliole d'Asti.
The varieties, microclimates and soils are different, but all are cultivated
with the same great love for the vine and respect for the environment.
Good full red. Subtle aromas of cherry, raspberry,
rose petal, mocha and brown spices, with hints of tar and eucalyptus.
Juicy, bright and sharply delineated, with a powerful underlying
spine. Very fresh, classy Barolo with lovely restrained sweetness;
not at all dominated by its new oak. Less forthcoming today than
the 2000 example, but this is distinctly more primary. Finishes
with firm but rather suave tannins and very good grip. 91(+?) points
2001 Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco
(the 2001 Barolos were bottled in July of 2004)
Good medium red. Raspberry, mint, spices, eucalyptus and a hint
of tomato on the nose. Fruit-driven, supple and fairly dense, in
a distinctly approachable style. Good red fruit flavors complicated
by herbs and spices. More intensely flavored than the 2000. There's
still a hint of greenness here, but the wine finishes with sweeter
tannins and very good length. 88 points
Il Museo Ratti
