Seriously, how good is this??? Am I the last one to find out? A straight Nebbiolo with the lowly Langhe Rosso designation that would make many (most?) affordable Barolos look very ordinary. Sure I knew Roagna is very well regarded but even with that I was totally blown away. Man, I must buy more of this quick.
2011 Roagna Langhe Rosso- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC (10.9.2020)
No decanting needed, this wine is straight fire right from the get-go. The nose is just incredibly focused and expressive, like sniffing in high definition. Ultra pure dark, savory cherry, an attractive top layer of tar, freshly shaved truffle, herbs, forest floor and hints of rose petals. It’s not that hard to find these notes on a Nebbiolo but rarely are they there in such refined, articulate and intoxicating fashion. Medium bodied on the palate with a chiselled frame and clear confidence about it. In a really great place with relatively youthful, savory fruit and no fat whatsoever. Not much weight either, likely thanks to the moderate 13.5% ABV, with magnificently silky tannins that grip but are in no way harsh. It has this wonderfully fitting tightness about it and a long, seamless finish. A beautiful, effortless and harmonious wine.
This is a great value play wine that is a great wine in itself. It’s from a mix of fruit from Paje and Pira. Luca uses his younger vines for this (20 years young). Long-ish traditional elevage. I totally agree how good it is not only for the money but in absolute quality. Thanks for checking in on it. I also think Luca did well above average in general in ‘11.
I was not aware of the rather prestigious origins of the grapes, thanks for the insight! I agree that especially in the context of the vintage this wine is quite a surprise as previously I have come across some pretty elevated alcohol levels in 2011 (by accident bought a Barolo Brunate with 15.5% ABV, yikes…) but this one was all finesse. I saw that the 2015 vintage of this wine will soon be released but on CT there is only one note and it is not exactly a massively positive one. Perhaps it would be wise to ignore that and just go by the wine’s track record while the availability is there?
Unfortunately I have not tasted his '15s yet, but in general Luca is a pretty gifted winemaker and has done well in warmer vintages. I, in general, do not like warm vintages, but even his 03s are pretty delicious. If you have the ability to taste it, I would, but there are a few winemakers I would trust in nearly every vintage, and at the tariff for this bottling, I would say it’s worth a try.
Not that ABV tells all that much necessarily but apparently the 2015 is ”only” 14%. I think I’m just going to pull the trigger and live with the consequences. I’ll open one once they arrive and share the note.
What a beautiful wine for about $40. I recently tasted the 2014 with 800 cases made. In 2014, Roagna added new sites in Albesani and Gallina (both in Neive, Barbaresco) with older vines, so I wonder if those acquisition might free up more fruit for the Langhe Rosso.
I was just looking at picking up some of the 2014. What are your thoughts on its drinking window? It looks like Roagna vinifies this quite differently than a typical Langhe Rosso.