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.
2019 gives a delightfully charismatic Ronchi. Precise aromas of red and blue fruit, mingled with aniseed, pan juices and crushed stone roll onto a palate layered with silky flesh, refined tannins and the cool, linear freshness that is a hallmark of this Cru. The length is epic and sets the wine up for its long life ahead.