Three Classic Italian Reds, Part 1 – Manzone Giovanni Cento Anni Barolo Riserva 2009
Earlier this year, I reviewed two contrasting Barolo DOCGs and a Langhe Nebbiolo DOC from Manzone Giovanni, about which you can read here. Along with these wines, there was also a special edition Barolo Riserva DOCG from the 2009 vintage called Cento Anni. I deferred writing about this wine until now for three reasons.
Firstly, such a special Barolo Cru deserves to be opened at the most suitable time of year. For me, that’s in the autumn. In Piemonte, the Nebbiolo grape variety, being a late ripener, is usually harvested in October. This is a time of mists and fogs, the Nebbia that gives the grape its name. There are cooler days, fallen leaves and a tapestry of changing colours. It’s also a time of comforting food and the first crackling open fires. Importantly, there’s also truffle hunting and chestnut gathering. Great Barolo should remind you of all these things.
Secondly, this is part one (of three) in a series about the three greatest Italian red grapes – those that have helped define Italian Wine. Burton Anderson, the first author to write authentically in English about Italian wine 1, identified them decades ago: Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Aglianico. All three are quintessentially Italian and are grape varieties that possess the ability to reveal a specific sense of place. It’s therefore fitting to start with Nebbiolo in arguably its greatest guise, as a Barolo Riserva DOCG. I’ve chosen Manzone’s Cento Anni to be its Ambassador.
Lastly, the timing also anticipated the availability of Cento Anni 2009 at UK importers Lay and Wheeler.
Cento Anni
1925 Giovanni e Maria Manzone
Cento Anni was released in 2025 as a celebration of the Manzone Giovanni estate’s 100th Anniversary, high up at 400 metres at Castelletto. Giovanni and Maria Manzone started producing wine there in 1925.
Back then, economic conditions in Piemonte were far from what they are today, and many families left for better prospects elsewhere. The Manzone family stayed, though their land was particularly poor, stony and hard to work. The Great War was still fresh in people’s minds, and the world was already sliding towards another.
Barolo didn’t achieve recognition until the sixties, and before then, Nebbiolo did not command high prices. Furthermore, mechanisation was non-existent, and wines were made naturally, matured for years in large old barrels and then sold locally, in bulk. These days, the Barolo DOCG is recognised as world-class and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, while Barolo wine is one of the few referred to as “The King of Wines and the Wine of Kings.”
Confucius said that we should remember the past if we would divine the future. So, five generations of the Manzone have survived and thrived. And here we are with their Cento Anni.
Cento Anni, Barolo Riserva DOCG, Piemonte, Italy, 2009. 14%
Cento Anni
Technical
While 2009 was rated overall as a good rather than stellar Barolo vintage, local conditions at the estate near Monforte d’Alba were auspicious. Hand-harvested on 12 October 2009, from Gramolere MGA with ultra-low yields of 25 hl/ha. Spontaneous fermentation with a 40-day maceration and pumping-over in steel tanks. Low-sulphur regime.
The DOCG stipulates that a Barolo Riserva must age for a minimum of 62 months, including a minimum of 18 months in barrel. This is a considerable time to tame its tannins, so Cento Anni comfortably exceeds that! This was matured in 5,000 and 7,000-litre oak tonneaux for 84 months. It was then blended in cement tanks and stayed there for another 60 months, with annual battonage (lees stirring).
Finally, in 2022, it was bottled without fining or filtration, under cork and kept for another 36 months. The label replicates the “old tradition” scripts and designs of Barolo in the sixties, when it first came to fame. There are 2,793 bottles, 230 Magnums and 20 Jeroboams.
Tasting
This wine was decanted for four hours, as recommended by Mauro Manzone. I’d go further and suggest that this wine demands decanting. Not because of sediment, but to allow it to open up. It really does take that long, so patience is required. Only then is it ready to drink, and pairing with food is also essential.
The wine is an intense garnet with a deeper, darker core. It still looks surprisingly youthful, as yet without an orange rim that’s often the tell-tale of an ageing Nebbiolo. On the nose, it’s the very definition of a word that should be used sparingly, “bouquet.” Where to start – dried rose petals, white truffle, sour cherry. Nuances fleet – tobacco, liquorice, leather. Worth staying with such inviting scents for a while.
Time for the palate, now mellow, those tannins tamed, leaving a satin texture and allowing the full glory of the wine to show through. Alcoholic power, but in balance with the weight of fruit and refreshing acidity. Sour cherries, dried herbs, hints of fennel – fruit precision with additional complexity from a tarry undertow. Not a collection of individualised flavours, instead, a seamless and harmonious melding that resists unpicking. The long, slow farewell should be accompanied by your long, slow smile.
A satisfying and emotional journey, so don’t rush it (easier said than done). A wine for your own special occasions, any time over the next 15-20 years.
Food
A special wine like this deserves special food. What better than white truffles, which are found in Piemonte from September until December. Shave them thinly over Carpaccio di Manzo, or over Brasato al Barolo (don’t use this one!)
Instead of these, it was paired with Mutton casserole with chestnuts, accompanied by mustard mash. This was strongly flavoured, suitably autumnal and hit the spot.
UK Stockist
Lay and Wheeler £120.00 En Primeur In Bond, so with tax and duty, £147.72.
And Finally
Any celebration of 100 years is profound. Cento Anni represents this and more besides, an essence of what Nebbiolo can be, an ambassador for Barolo. Please join me and raise your glass to toast another 100 years.
Thanks once again to Giovanni, Mauro and Mirella Manzone for offering the opportunity to enjoy this superb wine, which I hope I have done justice. Buon Compleanno!
Location
Azienda Agricola Manzone Giovanni
Via Castelletto, 9
Monforte d’Alba (CN)
Piemonte
Italy
What3words Location
Notes
Burton Anderson: Vino. The wines and winemakers of Italy (1980). Real writing, with facts, avoiding peacock words and points systems in equal measure.
Part 2, about Sangiovese, can be found here.