This producer has been through an incredible journey in recent years. The sudden passing of the family patriarch, Angelo Rocca, in 2012 was obviously the catalyst. Angelo was already moving the estate back to a more classic 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 Rocca sisters formulated the idea of making a wine in 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 new 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 large-format, specially designed Stockinger wooden fermenter. The wine was then aged for 24 months in a single 2,000-litre cask. The blend is typically 50% Ronchi, 25% Ovello and 25% Montersino. It has been described by Galloni as a “Brunate of Barbaresco”, which gives you some insight into the quality on offer here.
As you would expect, when young, the 2019 Angelo is the most complex and brooding of Rocca’s 2019 Barbarescos. Given time, the wine’s ethereal structure and lush, red-fruited succulence will mesh nicely with the layers of dried florals, 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. Tasted last week, it’s already looking more seductive than Galloni’s note (October 22) suggests.