There was a time when prices for Barolo and Barbaresco wines lagged well behind those of top Burgundies. I can remember countless instances when I’d taste a Barbaresco and think:
I’d have to pay at least twice as much to get a wine of this quality from Burgundy.I don’t get to say that very often these days—elite Barbaresco/Barolo has closed that pricing gap—but I can today: Ronchi is undoubtedly one of Barbaresco’s 'pound-for-pound' champions, right up there with the storied Produttori del Barbaresco when it comes to consistency, authenticity, and exceptional value. Today’s 2014 hails from the single vineyard that lends the estate its name, and for those of you who collect Italian wine, you know that
cru-designated bottlings in the $40-ish range are a rare breed. As I’ve noted in previous offers, we trust Ronchi so implicitly that we’d likely have purchased this 2014 sight-unseen—but that would mean not getting to taste it, and what fun would that be? So yes, we tasted it, and as expected, it’s great: perfumed, powerful, profound…the whole package. It will make a sensational, long-lived addition to any smartly curated cellar, so don’t hesitate. At some point, the wider wine world is going to find out about Ronchi, and then we may all be out of luck!
The Ronchi property is based in the village of Barbaresco, with the family home and cellar perched atop the cru vineyard of the same name (for the Italian wine experts out there, the “Ronchi” cru is bordered by “Montestefano” to the north and “Moccagatta” to the south). This amphitheater-shaped vineyard, in which the vines average 30-40 years of age, has a southeastern aspect and runs up to the border with the village of Neive to the east. The Rocca family has been in this spot for four generations, and today winemaker Giancarlo Rocca presides over about 7 hectares (16 acres). Working without any pesticides or herbicides, Rocca is also a traditionalist in the cellar, aging his wines in the large, Slavonian oak vats known as botti and bottling his wines unfined and unfiltered.
For the “Ronchi” single-vineyard bottling, fermentation is carried out in stainless steel and the wine is aged for two years in a mix of tank, large Slavonian casks, and some French oak barrels. One of the hallmarks of the 2014 vintage is structure, and this one is true to form: With enough air, it is plenty delicious to drink now but I think the real sweet spot will be in another few years. In the glass, it’s a luminous garnet-red with crimson and pink reflections, with an appealingly woodsy aromatic profile: scents of black cherry, red currant, and orange peel are overlain with dried rose petal, licorice, herbs, leather, potting soil, and underbrush. It is medium-plus in body and quite muscular by Barbaresco standards, so give it about an hour in a decanter before serving at 60 degrees in Burgundy stems (and, as I noted in a previous Ronchi offer, don’t be at all surprised if this bottle is better on day two, should you find yourself with an unfinished bottle). There’s a touch of rusticity here that makes me crave food with a little fat and a little char—I’m thinking some non-spicy pork sausages and roasted potatoes off the grill, ideally enjoyed al fresco as an early evening chill starts to set in. This really is a stellar value for an eminently cellar-worthy wine. Do not miss it!
