Albino Rocca

Classical Nebbiolo and Friends from an Outstanding Barbaresco Estate

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. 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 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 have been determined to continue this legacy and in recent years, they have not missed a beat.

These are deeply classical wines in one sense (large cask, natural ferments, savoury tannins, etc.) and yet they are also wonderfully pure and precise. They nod to modernity in the best possible way. Of course, it helps that they have such wonderful holdings, use only Estate grown grapes and work very well in the vineyards with no herbicides, pesticides and only organic fertiliser—when it comes to Piemonte we have all been guilty of talking too much about winemaking and not enough about grape growing!

“The entire range trades on the same principal; honest, open and delightfully balanced wines, no matter what grape varieties are involved.” Nick Stock, Gourmet Traveller Wine

This producer has been through an incredible journey in recent years. The sudden passing of the family patriarch was obviously the catalyst. Angelo was already moving the Estate back to a more classical style (having come full circle), and after his passing his three daughters decided to produce a wine in his honour. Speaking with their grandfather, Albino Rocca (Angelo’s father and founder of the Estate), the idea came to them to make a wine that was vinified much in the way that Albino had done back in the day—using a wooden fermenter, with what we would call today ‘extended maceration’. The first release of the Angelo Barbaresco was such a success that it has now inspired evolution across all the wines (and two new wooden fermenters at the winery).

The Rocca’s efforts to continually improve the quality of all their Estate’s wines have resulted in some superb offerings over the last few vintages. All 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 that wonderful dark cherry, floral and savoury structured personality of Nebbiolo in all its Piemontese glory. Not only are Albino Rocca wines outstanding examples of Barbaresco, but they are also very fairly priced.

The Range

Albino Rocca Barbera d'Alba 2023

The lion’s share of this small-volume cuvée is drawn from a single parcel of vines planted in 2004 in the clay and limestone soils of San Rocco Seno d'Elvio—just outside the Alba township, on the edge of the Barbaresco area. More recently, a parcel of 20-year-old Barbera from Castagnito, on the opposite side of the Tanaro River, has joined the party. The resulting wine, raised entirely in tank, is bursting with juicy red and blue fruit and crushed-flower flavours framed by light-footed tannins and balancing acidity.

Albino Rocca Langhe Nebbiolo Rosso di Rocca 2023

If you are new to this Bibendum staple, Rosso di Rocca is 97% Nebbiolo with a smattering of Cabernet Franc. The Nebbiolo hails from a vineyard at Magliano Alfieri in the first hills of the Roero region. The vines were planted in 1967 and 2002, and the family purchased the parcel in 2016. The Cabernet Franc comes from 20-year-old estate vines in Barbaresco. Roero’s sandy soils give a lighter, brighter, earlier-drinking wine than the Rocca Nebbiolo d’Alba—a Nebbiolo party in a glass. The wine’s upbringing (solely in tank) and early bottling help keep to this theme.The apple never falls far from the tree here. The 2023 is typically lip-smacking, perfumed and crackling with energy. It has a red-fruited sweetness almost reminiscent of Pinot Noir but with a firmer backbone of mouth-watering acidity and tannin. And it is ludicrously good at the price.

“The 2023 Langhe Nebbiolo Rosso di Rocca is a delightful wine to drink now and over the next few years. Strawberry, red cherry, rose petals and orange peel give the 2023 a lovely aromatic presence to match its understated personality. This floral, light-bodied Nebbiolo will also make a fine choice for warm-weather drinking if chilled.”

89 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous

Albino Rocca Barbaresco Angelo 2020

This producer has been through an incredible journey in recent years. The catalyst was the sudden passing in 2021 of family patriarch Angelo Rocca. Angelo was already moving the estate back to a more classic style (having come full circle), and after his death, his three daughters decided to produce a wine in his honour. Speaking with their grandfather, Albino Rocca (Angelo’s father and founder of the estate), the Rocca sisters formulated the idea of making a wine the way it had been done back in Albino’s day. The first release of the Angelo Barbaresco was such a success that it has inspired evolution across all the wines, and two wooden fermenters are now at the winery. Angelo is a small blend of fruit from selected parcels across the estate. It was given a lunga macerazione (50 days on skins using a submerged cap) in a specially designed large-format wooden Stockinger fermenter. The wine was then aged for 24 months in a 2,000-litre cask. The blend is typically 50% Ronchi, 25% Ovello and 25% Montersino. Galloni has described it as a “Brunate of Barbaresco”, which gives you some insight into the quality on offer here. As you would expect, the 2020 Angelo is the most complex and brooding of Rocca’s 2020 Barbarescos. Given time, the wine’s ethereal structure and lush, red-fruited succulence will mesh nicely with the layers of dried flowers, deep spice and earthy depth. In the meantime, there is something charmingly ‘old school’ that the extended maceration has brought—something indescribably complex, too. Yet, the wine remains magically fresh, pure and refined, with the supporting structure hovering in the background.

“The 2020 Barbaresco Angelo is an exotic wine. Macerated cherry, white ﬂowers, apricot and spice are some of the many notes that grace this sensual, super-expressive Barbaresco. Fine tannins wrap it all together while lifted ﬂoral accents frame the ﬁnish. The Angelo is beautifully done.”

94 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous

Albino Rocca Barbaresco Montersino 2020

The Montersino Cru is located at the southern tip of Barbaresco, close to Treiso, at 320 metres above sea level. The Rocca’s 0.42-hectare parcel is within the highest and coolest area of Barbaresco and is one of the region’s most elevated plots. The south-facing vines were planted in 1998 by Angelo Rocca and are rooted on very poor clay and limestone slopes with thin layers of sandstone. The sandstone brings finesse, as does the altitude. Daniela Rocca has pointed out that this soil type (locally called Formazione di Lequio) resembles Barolo’s Monforte and some of the chalky soils found in Serralunga. Each year, these soils produce a beautiful wine that’s perfect for Burgundy (and Barbaresco!) lovers. Packed with perfume and vibrancy, there’s immediately more savoury complexity on offer. The palate is beautifully poised with velveteen fruit, skilfully interlaced with attractive mineral and floral flavour and the structure is brought by chalky tannins and elevated acidity. The first release from this Cru was back in 2012, and it’s hard to recall if Rocca has bottled a more exciting young wine than that from 2020.

“The 2020 Barbaresco Montersino is intensely ﬂoral and savory, reﬂecting a slightly higher position on the slope in a cool site. Dried herbs, tobacco, cedar, spice and earthy tones lend character. There is plenty of complexity and nuance here, and certainly more than enough depth to balance the tannins. This is a ﬁne vintage for the Montersino.”

93 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous

“Attractive aromas of red berries like raspberries and strawberries with hints of dried herbs, walnuts and bark. Medium-bodied, juicy and bright with fine, velvety tannins that are firm and grippy. Lingering finish. Very fine.”

94 points, James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

“Strawberry and raspberry, floral, some mint, herbal almost red capsicum notes, pepper and spice. Medium-bodied, almost coming across like a lightly bunchy Pinot Noir, to explain the style further. Dry, spiced strawberry and raspberry, dusty and peppery, a little bit ferrous, and with a firm stony finish of excellent length. Such a distinct vineyard character here, and I like it so much for its point of difference.”

94+ points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front

Albino Rocca Barbaresco Ovello Vigna Loreto 2020

Barbaresco’s Ovello Cru spans a ridge with both slopes of the crest planted to vines. Within this large Cru are several delimited parcels (historical plots, if you like). Rocca’s Vigna Loreto is one of them, a tiny plot that is effectively a monopole. Vines here are around 45 years old, and the fruit was first vinified as a separate bottling in 1990. Sitting on the sunnier, southwestern side of the ridge, these vines directly face the moderating influence of the Tanaro River, so the nights are much cooler than on the other side of the Cru. The clay and limestone soils are also sandier and lighter than in the rest of Ovello, giving the wines here far more finesse. On the other hand, vines from Loreto must be cropped at 10 hl/ha less than other Ovello vines if the wine is bottled under the parcel name, so this wine balances its finesse with real density. As in most years, you get Ronchi’s architecture and Cottà’s prettiness here.

“The 2020 Barbaresco Ovello Vigna Loreto is a bright, nervy Barbaresco. Kirsch, dried ﬂowers, chalk, mint and white pepper give the 2020 its distinctive upper register. This mid-weight, vibrant Barbaresco needs time to soften. It is the most reticent of these wines.”

93 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous

Albino Rocca Barbaresco Ronchi 2020 (3000ml)

This celebrated, limestone-rich Barbaresco Cru runs along the southern belt of the appellation, near the town itself. The Rocca cellars are located just above this southeast-facing vineyard—one of the reasons the site has become synonymous with the name Albino Rocca. Ronchi is also the oldest and largest holding of the estate, extending to almost six hectares (three of Nebbiolo)—roughly a third of the total area of the Cru. With Rocca’s Nebbiolo vines here now aged between 50 and 70 years, this vineyard offers an ideal combination of vine age, deep clay and limestone soils and southeast exposure. It’s no surprise that it consistently produces some of Barbaresco’s greatest wines, wildly aromatic and rich in complexity and structure.

“The 2020 Barbaresco Ronchi stands out in this range for its breadth and textural resonance. There's gorgeous palate presence. Sweet red plum, blood orange, spice, new leather and incense ﬁll out the layers. It’s a compelling wine in every way, and one that handles its alcohol quite well.”

95 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous

“This is red-fruited and floral with citrus peel, rose petals and some undergrowth notes. Medium-bodied, polished and delicate with fine tannins and fresh cherry-fruit in the middle. Very attractive.”

93 points, James Suckling, jamessuckling.com

“The style is fairly reductive, with a menthol character, dark cherry fruit and minerals on the savoury nose. Full of sucrosity on the palate, with crunchy tannins of good ripeness, refreshing, lively, brilliant acidity and an amazing liquorice aftertaste with a zip of sternness which is welcome at this stage. From a vineyard with southeast exposure planted between 1950 and 1980, this ages for at least 20 months in German and Austrian oak casks.”

93 points, Aldo Fiordelli, Decanter

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“The entire range trades on the same principal; honest, open and delightfully balanced wines, no matter what grape varieties are involved.” Nick Stock, Gourmet Traveller Wine

“….there’s much to be said for the attractive willingness of the wines of Albino Rocca; the Barbaresco unmasks the essence of nebbiolo and presents the engaging, elegant and downright feminine side of this much revered grape. In fact, the entire range trades on the same principal; honest, open and delightfully balanced wines, no matter what grape varieties are involved.” Nick Stock, Gourmet Traveller Wine

“Paola, Monica and Daniela Rocca have unhesitatingly taken up the winemaking and moral legacy of their father Angelo following since his untimely death in 2012. They now continue with the story that won many fans thanks to above all to the happy combination of courteous affability permeating the Ronchi farm and the appealing, well-measured pace of the estate’s Barbarescos.” Gambero Rosso

Country

Italy

Primary Region

Barbaresco, Piedmont

People

Winemakers: The Rocca family & Carlo Castellengo

Availability

National

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