Bruno Rocca Barbaresco 2020 2022

The Rocca family has worked the land at Barbaresco since the early nineteenth century, and Bruno Rocca began bottling under his own name in 1978. This Barbaresco is made from Nebbiolo, the noble grape of the Langhe, grown in the heart of the D.O.C.G. The calcareous marl soils of Barbaresco and the continental climate, with warm days and cool nights, allow Nebbiolo to ripen slowly while keeping its high acidity and firm tannins intact. Nebbiolo is famously pale yet powerful, its character built on structure and aromatics rather than depth of colour. The wine spends sixteen months in barrel, where slow oxygen exchange gradually rounds the assertive tannins and adds savoury complexity while preserving the perfume. The colour is pale garnet. The nose is classic Nebbiolo, with cherry and dried rose over leather, tobacco, earth and dried herbs. The palate is medium to full bodied, with high acidity, firm grippy tannins and a long, savoury finish that rewards a few years in bottle. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant for an hour. It is built for rich, traditional Piedmontese dishes.