Quiet passion, dedication, and pride for his local grape varieties are what defines the work of Claudio Mariotto, the third generation Mariotto to officially produce wines on his family’s estate. Nestled in the southeast corner of Piemonte, the estate was initially founded in the early 1920s’ by great-grandfather Bepi, though Claudio’s ancestors had been growing grapes and making wines in the Colli Tortonesi for generations prior. Today, Claudio and a few other hardy, local compatriots (many of whom we’ve featured in the annals of wine club before) have become part of a staunch line of defense that sees them plucking a small subset of hyper-native, local varieties back from the brink of extinction, eschewing lucrative pursuits driven by the success of more locally famous and international varieties in an effort to preserve these ancient native specialties.
I’m not sure if there’s an Italian red grape variety that feels more at home during the dreary winter months than Croatina, especially when it comes with a little in-built age. Producing a relatively powerful, color-rich and heart-warming red, one could suppose that a grape variety like Croatina was probably a more welcome winter tipple in this decidedly alpine-adjacent region than those paler-colored and nervier Nebbiolo and Vespolina wines that garnered greater traction elsewhere in region (and have become more internationally famous today.) Mariotto’s ‘Montemirano’ Croatina, now in its 8th year of development, presents deep and inky in the glass. Redolent of elements of nutmeg and hoisin, blackberry shrub, balsamic and iron, this darker and more brooding core lifts into smokey minerals, and stewed cherry aromatics, melding into elements of blood orange, cherry skin, apple skin, and earthy mineral flavors. Break out the grill!