Albino Rocca hails from the increasingly recognised and popular region of Barbaresco, northern Italy. The region is best known for its Nebbiolo, and has in recent times began to emerge out of the shadows of its neighbouring Barolo. Together the two Piedmont regions have joined the all-famous Italian cadre that includes the Super Tuscans, Amarone and Brunello di Montalcino. Barbaresco wines are known for their approachability, allowing them to be enjoyed younger (although ageing potential persists just as well), but at the same time offers a less austere and tannic take on the Barolo style. The region has achieved DOC status in 1966 and DOCG in 1980, and is lower altitude on average, as well as having more clay in its otherwise chalky marl soils compared to Barolo. Consequently, the region has taken a shine with Italian wine lovers for its more favourable quality to price balance.

Albino Rocca's Barbaresco vineyards in Piedmont.

So what of this artisanal Barbaresco producer? The story starts in the 1940's, when Albino Rocca himself had started the winery with the inheritance of some vineyards in Barbaresco. He is then joined by his son Angelo Rocca who is credited for truly propelling the family's vineyards to its current fame. He does so by improving the quality of the prestigious vineyards that includes Vigna Ronchi, Ovello Vigna Loreto and Vigna Montersino, through the restriction of use of herbicides and inorganic fertilizer. At the same time, he moved vinification into division separated by single vineyards and single varietals, thereby allowing for the individual characteristics of each harvest to be respected and best expressed. Angelo would also modernise much of the family's vinification equipment, and in the 2000's decided to change his barrels to big barrels, which he correctly believed that it would better express the personality of his Barbaresco Nebbiolo's.

Three generations of the Rocca family.

Today, Albino Rocca has expanded its vineyards to include Vigna Cotta, with a total of 18 hectares, and whilst Nebbiolo remains the dominant variety, other local varieties such as Barbera, Dolcetto and Cortese are also grown, along with the more well known Moscato and Chardonnay. The vineyards are managed today by the fourth generation Rocca sisters - Paola, Monica and Daniela.

Now with all that said, let's give a bunch of Albino Rocca's wines a go!

Albino Rocca, La Rocca Cortese Piemonte 2018 - Review

Starting with the Cortese, a local grape variety that's known to be very generous but also difficult in character. It's said to produce white wines that have a long-lasting and complex profile. This comes from 25 years average aged vines grown in Barbaresco and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio, with a terroir of marl soils that's limestone heavy. It's 100% Cortese, aged for 4-6 months in 225 litre French pack Barriques.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Straw, Honey

Aroma: Light honey, accompanied by elderflower, light hits of green grapes with a gentle mineral backbone. There's a slight funky barnyard quality of brie rinds and hay, giving it a rusticity. It's got a richness to it as well.

Taste: Very rich here - honey, elderflower, green grapes. That light hay note makes it through to the palate. It's medium-bodied, with a very nice vibrance and fuller flavours.

Finish: Alittle more generous with those green grapes, very plush into the finish, soft and elegant, pillowy even, backed by gentle honey and light tannins.

My Thoughts

Really lovely white here! It's fresh, rich, vibrant, very well saturated and fuller in its flavours and body. It's exactly what I'm looking for in a white - you want something that's got a good thickness, isn't thin, and yet doesn't feel too bulky. Here the flavours are forward, elegant and bold. So big flavours, great delivery, it's also well balanced in that it's not particularly tannic but isn't cloyingly sweet either. The flavours here are floral and bright, and at the same time rich and buttery in texture - fine work Rocca! 

Albino Rocca, Ronchi Barbaresco 2020 - Review

We get on to the reds. This one's the most classic of Rocca's, the 100% Nebbiolo variety from the family's historic Vigna Ronchi estate. Quintessential Barbaresco expression, this is. Soil here is characterised as marl, high in limestone as well, with the vines averaging 55 years and up here. After harvest, it's matured for at least 20 months in German and Austrian oak casks, with at least 9 months additional refinement in bottle.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Garnet

Aroma: Mellow with aromatic earthiness of soil and tobacco leaves. It's got a really nice earthy leafiness of freshly wrapped Cuban cigars, and believe it or not alittle bit of manure. Perfumed wafts of smoke too. This noses beautifully! 

Taste: Full flavoured, medium-bodied - big, rich notes of blackberry jams. There's of course that earthiness persisting here, of tobacco leaves and soil.

Finish: Clearly stunning elegance on the finish, it cleans out softly with light tobacco leaves on the finish. Again, thoroughly aromatic.

My Thoughts

This is big on that earthiness, giving it such a beautifully rich and aromatic profile. It's incredibly forward on those Cuban cigar notes, but keeps that rustic quality of freshly toiled soil. Whilst the fruits are somewhat missing on the nose, it is more than made up for on the palate with that juiciness of blackberry jams well expressed and bold. Into the finish, the Ronchi shows us it's got more cards up its sleeve - here we see a stunning elegance, the tannins are soft, the acidity is brighter, cleaning out softly with more of that aromatic earthiness. Spectacular stuff here!

Albino Rocca, Dolcetto d'Alba 2022 - Review

Now our third grape variety from Rocca, this time we've got the Dolcetto, another local variety. This is said to be more floral and fruity, with more acidity as well. This comes from Barbaresco and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio, marl soil with that limestone once again. This red is 100% Dolcetto, harvested from vines that's about 50 years old on average. 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Ruby

Aroma: Some gentle touches of tobacco and soil, complemented by a more fruity and floral moment of raspberry and rose. It's alittle bit of both. It's aromatic and brighter, and with time the earthy soil notes takes the fore, this time backed by some blueberry jam.

Taste: Rich, medium-bodied, it's got some plushness. We're talking raspberry jam, hits of tobacco, it's brighter, it's bouncy.

Finish: Some chalk here with more of a mineral backbone. Soft notes of raspberry jam sweetness too.

My Thoughts

This is somewhere between the Ronchi and the Rosso di Rocca (which we'll see shortly) - it's got alittle bit of both. I like this balance of red fruits and florals on the one hand, and then also the earthiness of tobacco and soil on the other. It almost feels like you're right there in the middle of the vineyards. That said, it is noticeably easy drinking, very approachable and definitely lending itself more friendly to the palate. It's lighter and brighter, with still a moderate amount of richness.

Albino Rocca, Rosso di Rocca Langhe Nebbiolo 2021 - Review

We move on to a vineyard that was more recently acquired by the Rocca family. This comes from a vineyard in Magliano Alfieri, which sides on the left side of the Tanaro River, and is the family's new version of a Nebbiolo. The soil here is marl, but with a larger proportion of sand mixed in with the limestone.

This label is 97% Nebbiolo and 3% Cabernet Franc; vines harvested from are younger, having been planted between 1967 and 2002. 

Tasting Notes

Colour: Ruby

Aroma: Fruity whilst leaning alittle darker - black cherry, red licorice, blackberry, backed by a lighter earthiness of tobacco and soil. It's got quite the breadth of brightness, ranging from bright to moderately darker and deeper notes. There's some rose and raspberries here too, filling the top notes. 

Taste: Fuller-bodied, decidedly more vibrant and richer. Raspberry, rose, softer and more velvety, lovely plushness. It tends towards being brighter, albeit still keeping that darker blackberry note. It's really red berry forward.

Finish: Very elegant here, more of that rose water, backed by raspberry and blackberry notes too.

My Thoughts

Very enjoyable here! It keeps its richness and has a wide breadth in its flavours that gives it a nice complexity and more dimensionality as well. What forms the brighter red fruits on the top notes is supported by a deeper and richness of darker berries, which has the effect of lengthening its span of flavours. Of note is also its finish which I found very elegant with splashes more of those florals and red berries.

Albino Rocca, Moscato d'Asti 2020 - Review

Last but not least, we're going to wrap up with some Moscato! This comes from the southern slopes of San Rocco Seno d'Elvio. Because of the steepness of the terrain, much work has to be done entirely by hand, and so production is pretty small. The soil here is marl, with more limestone and some sand. This label is 100% Moscato.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Light Straw Tint

Aroma: Starts off with a bright and rich plume of musky white fruits, specifically langsat fruit. It's not overly musky, nor savoury or sour, but instead very aromatic and fresh. It's got a raw vibrance to it. It's supported by some citrus of grapefruit, as well as a light bready scent of brioche. Really good richness and mellowness to the bouquet.

Taste: Big sweetness here, syrupy sweet even. Its fuller bodied, with notes of elderflower, honey, and lots of residual sugar.

Finish: Clean finish. Light brioche, bright green grape jellies, persistent sweetness.

My Thoughts

The aromas really stood out here - it's rich and fuller bodied, with a nice complexity of musky white fruits, alongside with citrus acidity and some breadiness. The palate however did come across sweeter than I'd prefer, with a heavy note of residual sugar. The finish showcases some lovely green grape jellies, but again the sweetness was a tad too persistent. 

Kanpai!

@111hotpot