La Ca'Nova Barbaresco, Piemonte, Italy 2022
The Rocca family has grown grapes in Barbaresco for four generations. For much of that history, their fruit was sold to neighbors, including Angelo Gaja and his father before him — a quiet acknowledgment of the exceptional quality of their holdings. In the early 1970s, Pietro Rocca, the family's fourth-generation patriarch, made the decision to bottle under the La Ca'Nova label, launching what has become one of Barbaresco's most admired traditional estates. The estate holds prime parcels in two of the denomination's most celebrated single-vineyard sites: Montestefano, known for producing some of Barbaresco's most structured and long-lived wines, and Montefico — specifically the Bric Mentina vineyard — which favors a more elegant, aromatic expression. Today Pietro is joined by his sons Marco, an enologist, and Ivan, an agronomist managing the vineyards. Antonio Galloni has described La Ca'Nova as "the single most under-the-radar winery in all of Piedmont" and "quite possibly the greatest Barbaresco estate most people have not heard about." The estate is imported in the United States by AHD Vintners.
- WINEMAKER: Marco Rocca; Pietro Rocca (founder)
- FARMING: Sustinable with organic practices. Estate grown. No modern agrochemicals. Ivan Rocca manages viticultural operations by hand with a strict focus on achieving optimal natural ripeness before harvest.
- VARIETY: 100% Nebbiolo. The base Barbaresco is sourced from younger estate vines across the Montestefano and Montefico holdings.
- TERROIR: Barbaresco DOCG, village of Barbaresco. Both primary crus sit at approximately 270 meters above sea level. Montestefano, a south-facing hill of calcareous marl and clay, is one of Barbaresco's most powerful and structured sites. Montefico — where the Rocca family's Bric Mentina parcel lies — shares the same altitude with south and southeast exposure and a sandier marl soil composition, yielding a somewhat more aromatic and refined style. The 2022 growing season was defined by drought from early in the year through summer, with extremely warm temperatures and very limited rainfall, resulting in the earliest harvests on record in the zone. Yields at La Ca'Nova were reduced significantly — down approximately 30% at Montestefano due to its exposed position and lower clay content. The vintage produced wines that are open and expressive but with less mid-palate weight than La Ca'Nova's best years.
- VINIFICATION: Wild and native yeast fermentation only; no inoculation. Fermentation takes place in a combination of stainless steel tanks and three traditional wooden conical vats, without temperature control. Just before fermentation is complete, the steccatura technique is employed — wooden planks are used to keep the cap submerged — a time-consuming traditional method that gently extracts additional color and polyphenols without aggressive pumping or mechanical extraction. No fining.
- AGING: 30 hectoliter Austrian oak casks (untoasted, neutral), chosen by Pietro Rocca for their quality and neutrality. No new oak influence. Wines are unfiltered prior to bottling.
- TASTING NOTES: Deep and layered, with an open, expressive character typical of the warm 2022 vintage. Red-fruited and generous, with violet, spice, and floral overtones characteristic of Nebbiolo. The palate is succulent and balanced, with the structure and mineral precision of the estate's traditional approach evident despite the vintage's warmth. Approachable on release; will continue to develop.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Brasato al Barolo, roasted lamb, tajarin with truffle, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, porcini mushroom dishes.
- SCORES: Vinous: 91 pts (2022 vintage)
La Ca'Nova Barbaresco, Piemonte, Italy 2022
The Rocca family has grown grapes in Barbaresco for four generations. For much of that history, their fruit was sold to neighbors, including Angelo Gaja and his father before him — a quiet acknowledgment of the exceptional quality of their holdings. In the early 1970s, Pietro Rocca, the family's fourth-generation patriarch, made the decision to bottle under the La Ca'Nova label, launching what has become one of Barbaresco's most admired traditional estates. The estate holds prime parcels in two of the denomination's most celebrated single-vineyard sites: Montestefano, known for producing some of Barbaresco's most structured and long-lived wines, and Montefico — specifically the Bric Mentina vineyard — which favors a more elegant, aromatic expression. Today Pietro is joined by his sons Marco, an enologist, and Ivan, an agronomist managing the vineyards. Antonio Galloni has described La Ca'Nova as "the single most under-the-radar winery in all of Piedmont" and "quite possibly the greatest Barbaresco estate most people have not heard about." The estate is imported in the United States by AHD Vintners.
- WINEMAKER: Marco Rocca; Pietro Rocca (founder)
- FARMING: Sustinable with organic practices. Estate grown. No modern agrochemicals. Ivan Rocca manages viticultural operations by hand with a strict focus on achieving optimal natural ripeness before harvest.
- VARIETY: 100% Nebbiolo. The base Barbaresco is sourced from younger estate vines across the Montestefano and Montefico holdings.
- TERROIR: Barbaresco DOCG, village of Barbaresco. Both primary crus sit at approximately 270 meters above sea level. Montestefano, a south-facing hill of calcareous marl and clay, is one of Barbaresco's most powerful and structured sites. Montefico — where the Rocca family's Bric Mentina parcel lies — shares the same altitude with south and southeast exposure and a sandier marl soil composition, yielding a somewhat more aromatic and refined style. The 2022 growing season was defined by drought from early in the year through summer, with extremely warm temperatures and very limited rainfall, resulting in the earliest harvests on record in the zone. Yields at La Ca'Nova were reduced significantly — down approximately 30% at Montestefano due to its exposed position and lower clay content. The vintage produced wines that are open and expressive but with less mid-palate weight than La Ca'Nova's best years.
- VINIFICATION: Wild and native yeast fermentation only; no inoculation. Fermentation takes place in a combination of stainless steel tanks and three traditional wooden conical vats, without temperature control. Just before fermentation is complete, the steccatura technique is employed — wooden planks are used to keep the cap submerged — a time-consuming traditional method that gently extracts additional color and polyphenols without aggressive pumping or mechanical extraction. No fining.
- AGING: 30 hectoliter Austrian oak casks (untoasted, neutral), chosen by Pietro Rocca for their quality and neutrality. No new oak influence. Wines are unfiltered prior to bottling.
- TASTING NOTES: Deep and layered, with an open, expressive character typical of the warm 2022 vintage. Red-fruited and generous, with violet, spice, and floral overtones characteristic of Nebbiolo. The palate is succulent and balanced, with the structure and mineral precision of the estate's traditional approach evident despite the vintage's warmth. Approachable on release; will continue to develop.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Brasato al Barolo, roasted lamb, tajarin with truffle, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, porcini mushroom dishes.
- SCORES: Vinous: 91 pts (2022 vintage)