It’s easy to forget that Nebbiolo, produced from great sites and mature vines can be a wickedly seductive wine to drink young. The late Angelo Rocca was a master at reminding us of this fact. His wines – and now those of this daughters – are plump, textural, seductive Barbaresco’s that are surprisingly forward yet clearly have the stuffing and powdery tannins to age. All of the Rocca wines are from Estate vineyards and all are grown 100 percent within the boundaries of the Barbaresco region (even the Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo d'Alba and Moscato).
When Angelo Rocca tragically passed away in 2012 in a light plane accident, Barbaresco lost one of its most distinguished growers. It also lost a wonderful person and a deeply respected member of the Piemontese community. Rocca was a grower operating at the peak of his powers and producing the most exciting, terroir-intense wines of his career. His three daughters (Daniela, Monica and Paola) along with Angelo’s cellarmaster (and son-in-law) Carlo are determined to continue this legacy and so far they have not missed a beat.
The Rocca’s efforts to continually improve the quality of all of their Estate’s wines have resulted in some superb offerings over the last few vintages. All of the wines are aged in large, neutral botti and remain contemporary in the sense that they are ripe, pure and meticulously made, but instead of any distracting new oak character, you have solely the wonderful dark cherry, floral and savoury structured personality of Nebbiolo in all its Piemontese glory. Albino Rocca’s wines are not only outstanding examples of Barbaresco writ large, but they are also very fairly priced.
