My first winery visit back in the Langhe since pre-COVID and a wonderful place to start. Alex hosted us in the new tasting room with a great view of the La Morra hillside.
Andiamo!
With Alex
Crunchy fresh nose with lovely dolcetto fruit, licorice. violets, and tar. Fresh acidity and crunchy fruit on the palate. Lovely spice and licorice. More-ish. Yum (90 points)
With Alex
Cool deep fruit, spice and florals. Darker barbera fruit but not hot or cumbersome, rather it's juicy and fresh. Mid plus weighted but well balanced by acidity. Little mountain herbs. Freshness and lift for barbera. Long yet fresh. This bottling often too big for me and this is lovely. (92 points)
With Alex
On the nose, cooler nebbiolo fruit, mountain herbs, tar, and violet. Mid weighted and fresh on the palate with more cooling herbal notes tar, dried rose petal, almost pot pourri and pure fresh nebbiolo fruit. Lovely wine for the table (90 points)
On to the Baroli. There was no Garblet Sue in '19 due to a hailstorm that decimated the vineyard.
With Alex
Tar balsam and roses with the Bread seemingly in the forefront, with Serralunga perfumed cooling herbs. Midweighted barolo yet deep with more balsam, mountain herb, and roses. this is a wine of harmony and balance. Firm fine tannins on back end. Long. A terrific Classico (93 points)
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2019 Fratelli Brovia Barolo Rocche di Castiglione - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (4/11/2023)
With Alex
A beautifully detailed and nuanced nose. Violet, tar, balsam and cooler fruit. On the palate there is subtle power read nuance. Finely detailed structured yet cohesive. This has mystery. Firmer fine tannins on the back end. Complicated. Hidden power. Fantastic (97 points) -
2019 Fratelli Brovia Barolo Villero - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (4/11/2023)
With Alex
Floral and spice driven nose. Beautiful perfume. Rounder more forward on the palate than the Rocche with balsam mountain herbs, and fleshy more forward fruit (in context). More giving spice and floral driven wine. Herbal and with lovely fruit. Little coarser tannins than the Rocche. (94 points) -
2019 Fratelli Brovia Barolo Brea Vigna Ca'mia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (4/11/2023)
With Alex
Terrific serralunga perfume. Intoxicating really. Cherry fruit, roses, spice, and balsam very floral. Full and beautifully balanced on the palate, it's broad and deep. Sapid and expansive. Above all it is harmonious. Firm more obviously structured tannins. Long balsamic finish. (96 points) -
2020 Fratelli Brovia Barolo Brea Vigna Ca'mia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (4/11/2023)
With Alex
Cooler fruit than 19. Roses, balsam, and cherry fruit. It's structured but so balanced it seems midweighted and graceful. It's floral and spice driven on the palate with lovely balance. There is a sense of calm and effortlessness to this wine that I love. Cohesive and calm. Poised. Long on the back end. 94+ (94 points)
I think Brovia is my favorite place to start my trip. Tasiting here gives particular insight into the vintage character and into favored terroir for the vintage. I love how the wines at Brovia tell the story of the vintage, and are a great lesson in terroir. It was great to be back and see Alex and even better to taste these terrific wines.
Thanks for reading
