The iconic Roagna estate is synonymous with extreme, ecologically-minded farming and slow gestating, ancient wines. Perhaps no Piemontese family has so defiantly ignored modernity and commercialization. But if you like your wines free of additives and technical tricks, and you seek Barolo and Barbaresco made as it was a century ago, there really is no substitute for Roagna. This is the kind of wine that sommeliers buy by the case and hide in their cellars. At first glance, it appears to be the cheapest and least prestigious of the family’s Nebbiolo-based releases, but there’s a secret. This Langhe Rosso bottling is actually a blend of wine from the prestigious Pajé vineyard in Barbaresco and Pira vineyard in Barolo. In Burgundy, these would be Grand Crus. I’ve enjoyed this cuvée from vintages past and can attest to its ability to improve dramatically with medium term cellar aging. This is a phenomenal investment, and a gift that will handsomely reward those with the patience to set some aside in their cellar.
Roagna's vineyards in the rolling hillsides of Barolo and Barbaresco are left relatively wild. When I was in Barbaresco a few years ago on a vineyard tour with Aldo Vaca from Produtorri del Barbaresco, I looked up at the Cru named “Paje” and noticed that one sub-parcel appeared completely overgrown; as if a forest had popped up in the middle of the vineyard. I asked whose vineyard it was and of course, the answer was Roagna. Luca's vineyards are a healthy and beautiful example of temperance and nature amidst a sea of mono-culture and heavy handed chemical herbicide use. This style of farming, in which incredibly tall, native grasses and several varieties of wild flowers and herbs are allowed to grow in the vineyard soils, is not typical in this region—or really any major wine region in the world. This vineyard philosophy is indicative of Luca's respect for biodiversity and his desire to produce wine from vineyards that thrive in their own natural, “hand off” homeostasis. This philosophy extends to the cellar as well. Luca macerates grapes in enormous old wood casks for up to 100 days with no roto-fermenters or invasive modern technology—this slow, patient process extracts maximum tannin, provides structure, and is precisely what allows Luca’s wines to age for an eternity. And cellar aging is what Roagna’s wines are all about—these wines need time. For instance, I am just now breaking into my 2004 Barbaresco crus from the estate. This wine certainly doesn’t need a decade of rest, but I would still recommend a few years in the cellar if you wish to experience its peak.
As I’ve mentioned many times on this site, 2010 is a remarkable vintage in Barolo and Barbaresco. The quality of this vintage means that almost across the board, estates are doing their most compelling wines in many years. Roagna is no exception—their Langhe Rosso has a ruby/garnet center with an orange rim. This is how traditional, long macerated Nebbiolo should always look; not dark purple and opaque. As always with a wine from the Roagna family, this is delicate, floral, and understated. Roagna’s Barolos and Barbarescos whisper; they do not scream. Dried roses, black truffle, saddle leather, white pepper, violets, mountain herbs, tart cherry, dried cherry and orange peel come together to create this wine’s delicate aromatic pallet. In the mouth, this wine shows layers of youthful tannin, restrained red fruit with white stone, and a long finish that forecasts the greatness this wine is sure to achieve with a few more years of cellar aging. If you wish to take a sneak peak and enjoy the wine today, I recommend decanting for 2 hours before serving at 60-65 degrees in large burgundy stems. Still, I can’t stress enough that this wine is a phenomenal investment, and it is designed to be cellared. As with last year, I’m buying two cases for my collection and I look forward to sharing this outstanding wine with friends in a few years. This is as close as it gets to a sure thing wine investment. Cheers!
