2020 La Ca’ Növa, Barbaresco DOCG, Montestefano Cru, Piedmonte, Italy.
I’ve been following and a fan of La Ca’ Növa since first trying their Barbaresco with their 2015 vintage, and this 2020 Cru Montestefano Barbaresco, with its dark, ripe and Barolo like personality, shows off a deep palate of pure Nebbiolo fruit, delicate florals, silky tannins, savory undertones and beautiful length. This warm opulent vintage gives loads of concentration and is vinous in the mouth, it delivers black cherry, damson plum, black fig and mulberry fruits, along with brambly spices, dried herbs, dark flowers, a touch of tarry licorice, balsamic resiny notes and subtle earthiness. The La Ca’ Növa Montestefano was fermented traditionally 100% de-stemmed with native yeasts with everything done by hand using smaller sized open top barrels, as was done in older and simpler times. The maceration, as noted previously, is interestingly done with a large wooden spoon used to stir the musts, which the winery notes, is very difficult and time consuming work that helps extract a much richer color as well as more polyphenols. Before becoming a winery they were growers, even selling grapes to Gaja, until they began bottling under their own label. They prefer, ask noted in my prior notes, to age their Barbaresco in Austrian, rather than the classic Slavonian oak botti and the owners don’t have much in the way of modern technology. I tried this one over two days and it was delicious from first sip to the very last drop, I maybe suggest drinking these 2020s sooner v. later and enjoy their youthful lush fruit.
The La Ca’ Növa estate, as I have mentioned in the previous reviews here at grapelive.com, is a little family winery set in a farmhouse from 19th century, in the center of Barbaresco, it was founded in the ’70s, and is run by the Rocca brothers who split between themselves the different roles needed, from the cellar and vines to public relations and admin work. This estate, as mentioned in my prior reviews, has winemaker Marco Rocca guiding the wines here, with the property located just outside of the historic village of Barbaresco, producing authentically styled wines that way over deliver for the price, especially this famed Montestefano cru version. Marco’s main passion is his Nebbiolo parcels and his trio of Barbaresco wines, but he also does Dolcetto, Barbera, as well as a entry level Langhe Nebbiolo. All of which should be searched for, but especially the Barbaresco DOCG, Montefico and Cru Montestefano, as they way over deliver, they are fantastic at their price point. The winery has prized parcels, set on marl, clay and limestone soils, mostly within in the Montefico and Montestefano crus, as well as nice sites within the Barbaresco DOCG zone. La Ca’ Növa is a set up in an old farmhouse from 19th century, it is situated in the center of Barbaresco. The vineyards themselves are treated in full respect of the environment and farmed sustainably allowing for the natural vegetative cycle of the vines, with those at the Montefico and Montestefano crus being their joint signature wines and most coveted vines. I have loved the value and depth of character I have found in the La Ca’ Növa lineup of Barbarescos and I highly recommend them to Nebbiolo fans and Langhe enthusiasts.
($42-48 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive