Before I give you further background, there is one key point relating to this offer of which you really ought to take note, and hopefully it compels you to read on!

The wines of La Ca Nova are offered at such fair prices relative to their quality that I would be hard pressed to name another estate producing this grade of wine at these kind of prices – and that comment doesn’t just apply to Barbaresco or Piemonte for that matter.

Have I caught your attention? Those in the know, will have already skipped further down to the business end of this offer, so my comments here are really for those who are yet to try Marco Rocca’s wines.

Need more convincing? Well, apologies for requoting my own text but…..

One hundred and fifty pounds doesn’t buy you a six-bottle case of red Burgundy from an outlying appellation, let alone a Bourgogne Rouge from a recognised grower, and it might just get you a six-bottle case of a Cru Bourgeois in Bordeaux. But here, you can get a single vineyard Barbaresco from a top Cru and a skilled winemaker. It is time to take note if you haven’t yet. I spoke to a very well-known winemaker in Barolo last year and he commented that the value offered by Marco’s wines is extraordinary and he buys them every year without fail.

So do I and I have done so for the last six or seven years.

Need a third-party endorsement? Please read Antonio Galloni’s note below:

‘La Ca' Nova is, in my view, quite possibly the greatest Barbaresco estate most people have not heard about. Yet. The wines, from two of the very top sites in town, are magnificent.’ Antonio Galloni, August 2019.

Marco’s wines are regularly among the handful of highest scoring Barbaresco that Galloni tastes, not just in classic years like 2016 or 2019 or 2021 but also in more mixed vintages like 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2018. I agree here – each year it is one of the most exciting cellar tastings in which I participate. 2022 may not be a classic vintage, but the skill of the grower and the characteristics of his impressively situated vineyards shine through. Where some other growers may have struggled in 2022, Marco has succeeded.

 

About the 2022 vintage…..

2022 was an unusual vintage. On paper, it was dry and hot – and when I say dry, it was very dry with no rain of note between November 2021 and March 2022 and then dry conditions continued. You would therefore expect wines with softer acidity and more heft. In the worst scenario you might anticipate vines that stopped photosynthesis and failed to complete the ripening cycle, such was the stress. Vines are, however, incredibly resilient, and adaptable – with roots weaving their way deep into the ground in search of moisture. Timely showers in August and September helped the fruit to ripen fully. Marco harvested his vineyards in the last week of September despite 2022 representing an early harvest for some. Another surprising factor concerns the freshness that Marco’s 2022s exhibit – it is not what you might expect from studying the weather data. Yes, the wines are a touch rounder and softer than you might associate with a more classically styled year, but they still offer considerable poise and balance. Part of this can be explained by the fact that the grapes showed a lower percentage of malic acid in 2022. Malic is one of the two principal acids in a grape, the other being tartaric. It is malic acid that is naturally transformed by malolactic bacteria following fermentation – the green acid of an apple to the softer, creamier, lactic acid of milk, to put it in simple terms. But in hot years, the malic acid component in the fruit can be lower than the norm, with greater tartaric, meaning that, after fermentation and malolactic fermentation, the resultant young wine has not lost as much acidity despite being the product of a hotter vintage since tartaric acid is more stable.

I don’t want to bore you any further about acidity, but it is a key component and effectively a determinant of success in more challenging dry and hot years.

Anyway, enough on all that. Let’s give you the detail on these impressive wines:

2022 Barbaresco, La Ca’ Nova
£120 per 6 bottle case in bond
Made from younger vine fruit grown in the Cru vineyards of Montestefano, Montefico, Ovello and Cole.
Showing a little more richness than I have come to expect, making it an appealing, earlier-drinking Barbaresco.  There is nothing too heady here, it retains its poise, with an enticing palate of juicy red fruits, cherry, pomegranate, a hint of spice and even a little mint. It is a more exuberant example, yet it reveals fine purity and layer upon layer of juicy fruit which masks the tannic spine beneath. A very well made Barbaresco with surprising elegance and mineral nuanced finish. (SL) Drink : 2025-2030.



2022 Barbaresco, Montefico, Vigna Bric Mentina, La Ca’ Nova

£150 per 6 bottle case in bond
The first of La Ca’ Nova’s single vineyard Barbaresco, ‘Vigna Bric Mentina’ in the Cru of Montefico is named in memory of Marco’s grandmother, Clementina.
Deeper in the glass, with a captivating nose of bright cherry fruit, flinty mineral notes, something floral and subtle hints of spice. On the palate, this still captures that fluidity and taut, mineral spine that is so typical of Montefico. The fruit is a touch more expressive at this early stage, maybe a little more baked cherry and berry, but the chalky mineral nuances and hint of peppery spice give this complexity as does a markedly saline-infused berry finish. Such a surprise to find this focus and tension – this is a compelling Barbaresco. (SL) Drink : 2026-2037.



2022 Barbaresco, Montestefano, La Ca’ Nova
£150 per 6 bottle case in bond
Always the darkest and most brooding of Marco’s wines and it is no exception in 2022. The nose offers juicy, ripe dark cherry and plum – hints of spice, even liquorice as well as a deep, almost earthy quality. You sense a much bolder style of wine here, with a bigger frame, yet once more this wine holds tension and retains its vineyard signature. Dark cherry and damson all the way, pepped up with a redder fruit, pomegranate accent to the finish. Again, the fluidity and poise of this vintage is notable. Another fascinating Montestefano, particularly in the vintage context. (SL) Drink : 2026-2037+ .

And one final comment on these 2022s – you might think they would have the heft of say another hot year like 2017, but they don’t exude that super ripeness on the cusp of over-ripeness. Instead, for me, they are more poised and elegant, capturing a sense of balance and fluidity. As yet, no critics have published reviews of any 2022 Barbaresco – I will be fascinated to see what they say, but one thing I do predict is a mixed vintage as growers had to navigate their own way through the challenges of another drought year.

Please click to buy or let us know of your interest. I hope my comments have piqued your interest in the wines of this outstanding and unassuming winemaker. The prices remain the same as last two years.

All the best,

Simon