Bruno Rocca Barbaresco Maria Adelaide 2019

Bruno Rocca farms 12.5 hectares between the villages of Barbaresco and Neive in Piedmont, and this Maria Adelaide is a pure Nebbiolo named for the family matriarch. The Langhe hills here carry the calcareous marl soils that give Barbaresco its scent and structure, while the warm 2019 season ripened the grape fully at 14.5 percent. Nebbiolo is a late ripening variety high in both tannin and acidity, so the wine is held eighteen months in barrel followed by eighteen months in bottle before release, a long ageing that lets the firm tannins settle and the aromatics develop. Oak supplies a slow exchange of oxygen that softens the structure without masking the fruit. The colour is garnet edged, the nose layered with blackberry, morello cherry and plum lifted by citrus zest, rose and a savoury note of leather and dried tobacco. The palate is medium to full bodied, with bright acidity, fine grained tannin and a long liquorice tinged finish. Decant an hour ahead and serve at 17 to 18 degrees in a large bowled glass. It suits braised beef, roast game birds and aged hard cheese.