GRAPE VARIETY: Nebbiolo da Barolo, 2010 harvest

ALCOHOL CONTENT: 48% vol.

BOTTLE SIZE: 70 cl

AGEING: This grappa is made from the distillation of Nebbiolo da Barolo pomace from the

2010 harvest, a year considered one of the finest in recent decades in the Langhe region for its elegance, structure, and longevity. After

careful and respectful distillation, the grappa aged for eleven years in European oak barrels, many of which

were former Marsala, according to the distillery's tradition. It was then aged for three years in Mizunara barrels, a rare and precious Japanese oak

known for its aromatic complexity and demanding processing. This wood

grows slowly in the northern forests of Japan, shaped by a cold, humid climate that makes it porous,

unstable, and therefore as difficult to tame as it is fascinating to use. In this grappa, the encounter between the two

woods—European and Japanese—becomes a tale of balance and stratification: a refinement of the bond—not only commercial

but cultural and relational—that Marolo has cultivated with the Land of the Rising Sun since the 1980s.

SAMPLES: 1,980 numbered bottles

TASTING NOTES: With a luminous amber color, the nose offers a broad and progressive range: the fruity

and spicy notes from the long aging in European oak intertwine with the Mizunara profile, which recalls incense,

sandalwood, sweet spices, and oriental resins. Delicate notes of coconut and tropical scents, typical of

this rare Japanese oak, also emerge. The palate is full, warm, and deeply textured, revealing a complex

yet precise aromatic texture. The finish is long, with a lingering balsamic note and a subtle return of dried fruit and citrus zest.

PACKAGING: 70cl bottle with an original label created by Japanese artist Hakuyu Watanabe,

who interprets the encounter between water and vine through his work. Limited-edition revolving case packaging.

The Vintage

2010 is considered one of the most balanced and elegant Barolo vintages of the new millennium;

dry and even weather conditions favored slow ripening, resulting in excellent

aromatic concentration in the pomace. This Grappa di Barolo Riserva is made from this selected raw material, distilled using the

discontinuous method in a pot still: 11 years of aging in ex-Marsala

oak barrels, according to the Marolo style, and a further 3 years of finishing in Mizunara barrels, for a total

of 14 years of evolution.

The Wood

Mizunara (水楢), "water oak," is a species endemic to northern Japan. Knotty and

twisted, it grows slowly in cold, humid environments, developing a particularly porous and

irregular grain, which makes it difficult to work. Added to this is its extremely limited availability: the trees

take over 200 years to be usable, and barrels made with this wood tend to be

fragile and dispersive. For these reasons, Mizunara is used only in very high-profile refinements, and only

by a few producers in the world.

The use of Mizunara for the production of aging barrels dates back to World War II: to

meet the growing demand for whisky from American troops and the lack of imported barrels,

Japanese distilleries turned to the complex, long-lived local oak. It was a technical necessity that

over time became a stylistic choice: Mizunara barrels proved capable of giving

the distillates a completely original aromatic profile, with hints of sandalwood, incense, coconut, sweet spices,

green tea, and white pepper—ideal for a meditative finish, capable of interacting with the structure of the

grappa without overpowering it.

The Connection

This edition represents the evolution of a relationship that Marolo has cultivated with Japan since the early

1980s, when Paolo Marolo began his first commercial relations with the Land of the Rising Sun. A bond

born from an appreciation for Japanese culture and the sharing of common values: respect for raw materials,

the centrality of time, and a focus on the essential.

The Label

The label is designed by Japanese artist Hakuyu Watanabe, an entrepreneur and creative whose visual research

moves between calligraphy and symbolic abstraction.

The work is inspired by the study and practice of Bokkoku, a form of calligraphy that reinterprets ancient

Chinese characters through gesture, ink, and the energy of the body. Inspired by Master Kenryo Hara, Watanabe has

made the sign a means to engrave meanings and sensations.

For this label, she chose to represent the term Mizunara (水楢) by combining its two

fundamental characters: mizu (water, 水) and nara (oak, 楢).

The water is a central flow, flanked by drops and puddles – one of which represents a grape.

The oak is a character composed of two elements, the albeRo and the rooster: yu (酉), the rooster, is the shape of

a sake barrel.

The work was created with ink and brush, using a technique that connects the artistic

gesture with the vital energy of the body. The brush was guided not only by the hand, but by a complete, corporeal

movement, to convey the strength of the water, the vitality of the wood, and the robustness of the barrels;

the result is a dense and dynamic mark, which visually translates the sense of transformation and depth

contained in the grappa itself.