Roagna 2019s and Dolcetto!
Roagna 2019s and Dolcetto!
I know what you are thinking, really more nebbiolo? I can't help it, it's my favorite grape and region. Piedmont consistently produces some of the best wines year in and year out. There are so many talented winemakers as well it can be daunting to settle on one, so I've done the work for you! Here I present some of the range of vineyards that Luca Roagna, who is the current head of the estate, so graciously crafts.
I am a huge advocate for fantastic wine being available at reasonable prices, unfortunately this offer doesn't have much "everyday" wine. These are exceptional wines for momentous occasions, but what exactly makes them stand out so much?
As with any artisan it boils down to the philosophy that directs the estate to their vision that they want to uphold and the execution. The Roagna family has numerous tenets that make up their way of viticulture, a select few of these that I believe deserve to be highlighted are the practices of massal selection, pied de cuve fermentation, submerged cap maceration and long ageing before release.
Massal selection, the propagation of new vines from a diverse range of parent plants, is taken one step further. Roagna only selects parent plants that have origins in that specific vineyard, never from outside sources giving each bottling an inimitable identity to each bottle. Submerged cap maceration, cappello sommerso in Italian, a practice where the opening is sealed and the tank is then filled up leaving the skins suspended, imparts an effusive character to the fruit. Macerations for Roagna have been increased since Luca has taken over, minimum 60 days leaving no margin of error for quality of the grapes being used. The pied de cuve, or foot of tank, is a method of starting the fermentation by crushing a small portion of grapes sequentially to obtain a strong colony of indigenous yeast that lack volatility. Lastly, the extended ageing that the estate applies ensures the wines leave the cellar in perfect condition and are a joy to drink upon release if you're so inclined. Everything Roagna makes has the ability to be cellared for years.
It's all of this and more that makes the entire lineup from Roagna speak of the land with a clarity and eloquence that's rarely found in the wine world these days.
-Ranggy Tapia
Wines are arriving later this week and will be available for pick-up beginning Friday, 2/28
Roagna 2023 Dolcetto d'Alba
Roagna's dolcetto comes from parcels coming out of the estate's holdings in Paje and Carso. All the fruit is hand harvested and ferments for 10 days with indignenous yeasts started by pied de cuvee, submerged cap maceration then ensues for...
$29.99
Roagna 2019 Barbera d'Alba
Roagna's Barbera is sourced from the estates Pira cru. Vinified like all the rest of their wines, with submerged cap maceration for a minimum of 60 days and fermented with indigenous yeast. Aged 5 years in a mix of French...
$54.99
Roagna 2019 Langhe Rosso
Grapes from the younger vines of massal origin between 20-25 years of age from Roagna's holdings in Castiglione Falletto and Barbaresco from Pira and Paje. It sees the same meticulous care that Luca puts into all his Barolos and Barbarescos...
$54.99
Roagna 2019 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione
This .48 hectare parcel from this histroic geographical mention was purchased back in 2016. Rocche di Castiglione is special for its white sandy soils that always creates wines of notable finesse and purity. Fermentation lasts ten days in large wood...
$199.99
Roagna 2019 Barolo Pira
This vineyard has been monopolised by and also the home to Roagna's Barolo estate since 1989. Its 7 hectares under vine is the largest parcel that the family farms, up to 6 different micro plots can be isolated here with...
$199.99
Roagna 2019 Barbaresco Gallina
One of the estate's newer vineyards starting with the 2014 vintage and a welcome addition to the holdings. Gallina has always been well known for the incredibly elegant wines it produces with its high quality sandy soils intermixed with calcareous...
$199.99
Roagna 2019 Barbaresco Albesani
One of the most historic vineyard in Neive made famous in the past by Giacosa's Santo Stefano bottling. Albesani rich limestone soils impart great structure to the wines here and some of the most long lived Barbaresco. Fermentation lasts ten...
$199.99
