2020 Roagna, Langhe Rosso DOC, Piemonte, Italy.
One of my favorite drinkers of the year so far is the Roagna Langhe Rosso, 100% young vine Nebbiolo, with its raw sex appeal, sultry medium bodied palate of classic berry reduction, damson plum, macerated cherry and wild strawberry fruits, along with hints of leather, licorice, cedar, sous bois and delicate rose florals. This is not obviously one of the top cru Barolo in the Roagna collection, but it is a pure terroir driven Nebbiolo that is absolutely delicious, it very much satisfied a craving for the grape and it is just beautifully hued and finishes with mature elegance. The Roagna’s, as mentioned in prior reviews, employ a a de-stemmed fermentation which takes place exclusively in wooden vats using a pied de cuve made from the indigenous vineyard yeasts, with primary lasting for about ten days and then the ancient, submerged cap (of skins and solids) maceration technique is applied, and that lasts close to 3 months. Then the wine is matured a long time in neutral oak and concrete vats, with this Rosso seeing the same five years of aging as their top Barolo crus! This 2020 Langhe Rosso went so well with a causal evening with my brother, the bottle seemed to disappear way too soon, and it happily went along with an evening of World Cup soccer and take away pizza!
Luca and Alfredo Roagna winemakers, at Roagna, have reached what corners of the wine press calls “Cult” status and make some of the most sought after Nebbiolo wines, which are noted for being authentic and traditional, these are wines of no pretense soulful charm, non flashy and wonderful age worthy. All the Roagna offerings are true Piedmontese wines, coming from only native varieties, and are interesting, as they have succeed in both Barbaresco and Barolo, but making each place their own, similar tho the legendary Bruno Giacosa. Roagna has prime parcels in Barbaresco and Castiglione Falletto, with separate Cantinas in both spots, which shows the commitment to the individual environment of these regions, even though the close proximity to each other. Roagna is fiercely proud of their historic and old vineyard sites and focus on these massale selection vines, which they farm with sustainable and organic methods to keep these special plots in fine health, to allow them to show off their best character from the soil to the glass. My friend Alex Lallos, of No Limits Fine Wines, introduced me to some of Roagna’s top bottlings, and I became completely hooked on the authentic, rustic charm and distinctive style here, and I know I should have bought a bunch more of this one!
($60 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive