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The legendary Barolo wine would not exist as we know it today without the vision of the Marchesa of Barolo, Giulia Falletti. Today her vision lives on at Marchesi di Barolo winery which is run by mother and daughter duo, Anna and Valentina Abbona. Discover the wines of the queens of Barolo.
With its unrivalled power, nuance, and longevity, Barolo is known as the “King of Wines”—but this so-called king actually exists thanks to a visionary “queen”. It’s thanks to Giulia Falletti, the Marchesa of Barolo, that Barolo was crafted into the complex red wine we know it as today.
“Today, the Marchesa’s vision of crafting world-renowned Barolo wine is carried on by two more queens of Barolo: mother-daughter duo Anna and Valentina Abbona, who run the Marchesi di Barolo winery and continue its tradition of producing standard-bearing Barolo wines.”
Though Nebbiolo grapes have been grown in and around the town of Barolo for centuries, the region’s wines changed when Giulia Falletti—then known as Juliette Colbert de Maulévrier—married Carlo Tancredi Falletti, the Marquis, or Marchese, of Barolo, in 1806. Upon moving to Piedmont, Giulia realized the potential of the Nebbiolo grape, which at the time was turns into a juice which didn’t entirely ferment, allowing therefore sweet, sparkling wines.
A true entrepreneur, the Marchesa decided to build proper cellars in Barolo near the couple’s residence. For the first time, the late-ripening Nebbiolo grape was protected from the outdoor cold winter temperatures and could complete fermentation, creating the full-bodied red wine known today as Barolo.
These cellars also allowed for the aging of Barolo—now considered a crucial element in the creation of this long-lived wine. Thanks to this refinement, Marchesa Giulia introduced these Barolo wines to King Carlo Alberto; his enthusiastic response earned Barolo the moniker of not just the “king of wines,” but the “wine of kings” as well.
The queens of Barolo who carry on the Marchesi di Barolo winery’s legacy today, Anna and Valentina, represent the fifth and sixth generations, respectively, of the Abbona family, local wine producer in Barolo who purchased Marchesi di Barolo estate in 1929 . Today, Marchesi di Barolo crafts the highest quality of wines from Barolo, the Langhe, Roero, and Monferrato. Not only do they create expressive wines that speak to the terroir from which they hail, but they honor and carry on the estate’s story begun by Marchesa Giulia more than two centuries ago.
