Roagna
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Some of the finest wines in all of Italy today are being made by Luca Roagna, the fifth generation to bottle under his last name in Barbaresco. The Roagna family has some of the most prestigious holdings in Barbaresco’s top crus of Asili, Albesani, and Paje, along with a carefully growing selection in a few Barolo crus, including their well-known monopole, Pira, in Castiglione Falletto. From Dolcetto d’Alba to their top Riservas, the wines are nothing short of formidable and an uncompromising representation of Piemontese wine.
Roagna Cheat Sheet
Terms
Langhe: a region of Piedmont containing some of the greatest vineyards of Nebbiolo in all of the world. The village of Alba is central to this, and the Tanaro river creates a natural border for the Langhe. Producers will "de-classify" (remove the title of a more famous appellation - e.g. Barolo or Barbaresco - to craft a unique wine outside of the stringent regulations.
Barolo and Barbaresco are famous appellations in which Nebbiolo rules over all; the wines must, by law, contain 100% Nebbiolo to bear the names of either. Regulations are intense, governing everything from yields to aging requirements, in order to maintain a "typicity" - in other words, they want Barolo to taste like Barolo!
Vecchie Viti: This represents "old vines" in each of the titular plots. Older vines produce less fruit, but more intensely-flavored, firmer-structured fruit. Thus, these wines are quite special and reward extended aging, in comparison to their "Normale" (not carrying the V.V. nomenclature) counterpart.
Chinato is a classic digestif made in the Barolo region, in which an aromatized wine is crafted with the famous juice. Roagna utilizes well-aged Barolo Pira, and infuses a proprietary blend of herbs, barks and flowers into the wine. Only about 300 bottles are released at once.
Wines & Vineyard Sites
The Langhe Bianco Solea is a wildly interesting production of Chardonnay and Nebbiolo, the latter added without skin contact. This creates a gorgeously aromatic wine with structure capable of aging beautifully. No Nebbiolo tannins - that comes from the skins, after all - but classic Nebbiolo acidity and floral tones that blends well with Chardonnay's finesse. Sourced from the Pira cru within Castiglione Falletto.
Dolcetto is a Piedmontese grape, which translated means, "Little Sweet One". The joke here is that the wines are by no means sweet - the grape certainly can be - but are laden with dark fruits and spice. A terrific "lunch wine", the grapes sourced from the Asili hill.
Barbaresco
Asili has sandier soils that promote the sort of silky tannins and ethereal aromatics we love - think along the lines of Berthaut-Gerbet in a Burgundy sense. Tart red fruits, sweet green herbs and delicate spice.
Montefico has both terrific lift aromatically and good density on the palate. Definitely a Barbaresco that rewards aging, one of the stealth stars here. Savory, delicate sweetness and loads of salty minerals.
Paje is one site that comes to mind when thinking of "classic" Barbaresco: bold, spice-laden, with a softer tannin structure. From this site, the "Crichet" or "Crest" is considered the finest site of all; originally only made for private, family consumption, this is only released in the finest vintages!
Barolo
Commune di Barolo is a cooler site than many in the range, giving a darker, firmer fruit tones in its youth. The structure lends well to aging, and only about one thousand bottles are released annually from this tiny (0.17 hectare) parcel! Potpurri, dark red fruits, leather and spice.
Pira is located near the new winery, the vineyard part of a steep slope that lends great density and aging potential to the wines. Some of the vines are nearly 90 years of age! Expect beautiful savory aromatics and dark red fruits.
The Roagna family history in Barbaresco dates back over 100 years, and they have slowly added choice parcels in some of the top areas of Barbaresco and Barolo. Since joining the family in 2001, Luca Roagna has been crafting wines that represent traditional Piemontese winemaking with a particular modern flair that has captured the eye of wine lovers across the globe. Today, Roagna has two wineries: one based in Barolo near their vineyard of Pira, and the historic winery based in the commune of Barbaresco.
One particularity about Roagna is the focus on single-vineyard production that is typically broken up into several separate bottlings and harvested in multiple passes. Any fruit from vines younger than 25 years old is blended into the general Langhe Nebbiolo bottling—making it one of the great values in all of Piemonte, considering the fruit comes from vines planted in their most famous vineyard sites. The Barbaresco and Barolo normale wines come from vines aged 25 to 50 years, and the Vecchie Viti comes entirely from vines that are 50 or more years old. The estate’s top wine, Crichet Paje, is built from a few rows of old selection massale vines in the Paje vineyard that were previously saved by the family for special occasions.
The family is a huge proponent of old vines and their ability to add complexity to their bottlings. When asked about the end of a vine’s life, Luca says no one in the history of the Roagna family has ever ripped out vines because they were too old. Macerations at the winery last three months before extended aging in botti. For the normale wines, aging ranges from two to three years before release, and the Riservas can remain at the winery for 15 to 16 years.
