Tasting Note
95 Points, Antonio Galloni, 2025-2039 Vinous The 2019 Barbaresco Ovello Vigna Loreto is fabulous. Bright and translucent, with terrific energy, the 2019 is all class. Crushed red berry fruit, rose petal and orange peel convey the purest essence of Nebbiolo classicism. White pepper, chalk and mint lend brightness to the taut, very Ovello finish. In this tasting, the 2019 is positively stellar. It saw 25-30 days on the skins followed by 20-22 months in cask. Give it a few years to soften.Review Date: 27 Oct 22
About the Producer
We have been following the wines of the Albino Rocca estate for over a decade, ever since tasting his memorable 1996 Vignetto Brich Ronchi. While that wine carried its 100% new French oak barrel élevage well, the oak was a noteworthy characteristic. Over time, the style of wines has gently shifted away from heavier oak usage, towards a style that embodies more traditional winemaking and involves the use of larger, more neutral, 20 hectolitre casks that allow for a significantly heightened expression of the outstanding single vineyards that Angelo Rocca, Albino’s son, had carefully added from the 1960s. Notably the estate has vines in the four different cru vineyards of Cotta (in Neive), Ronchi and Ovello (in Barbaresco) and Montersino (in Treiso). Today it is Angelo’s three daughters Daniela, Monica, and Paola as well as his son-in-law, Carlo, who run the estate and the wines are characterised by great fruit depth, purity and freshness, with clear expressions of each cru vineyard. Wine critic Antonio Galloni described the wines of Albino Rocca as “gracious, understated Barbarescos that impress with their impeccable balance”, adding that “over the last handful of years farming and winemaking have evolved in the direction of greater finesse”. In terms of the vineyards, Ronchi is south of Montestefano, situated on the Neive border. Albino Rocca’s vines here are 50-70 years old, planted in calcareous clay soils which imparts notable structure and understated power to the wines. The Loreto vineyard is situated within the larger, historic, Ovello cru, and is one of the estate’s longest held vineyards. Here, the vines are between 35 and 40 years old, planted at 240 metres above sea level with a south-easterly aspect in a sandy subsoil that yields wines of elegance and charm, and Albino Rocca produces just 3,000 bottles from this site.
