2015 Bruno Rocca Barbaresco Rabaja, Piedmont

This wine will be released this upcoming September. Bruno Rocca and his family have moved the release of this wine forward by six months. Given the importance of its structure and the complexity of the bouquet, it is more similar to a Barolo in their judgment and can therefore use more time to integrate in the cellar. The 2015 Barbaresco Rabajà is a beautiful wine, and the Rocca family never disappoints. This estate is at the top of a list of my favorite Barbaresco producers. This gorgeous achievement showcases fine mineral nuances stitched firmly throughout the generous fruity fiber of the wine. This part of Rabajà has cool, heavy soils and is west-facing and therefore does well in hot vintages such as 2015.

Bruno Rocca and his family have a lot of news to report this year. They have consolidated their land holdings in the Currà cru to make a Barbaresco and a Barbaresco Riserva. The only other producer I can think of who makes a wine from Currà is Sottimano, so it's very nice to see such a strong new voice to emerge from this promising vineyard site. Bruno Rocca's line of Barbaresco Riservas is also new. I tasted two Riservas, one from Currà (the 2012 and 2013 vintages) and a second one from the more austere Rabajà vineyard (the 2013 vintage). Rabajà has been associated with the Rocca family for as long as I can remember. Currà produces soft, velvety and generous fruit tones, whereas Rabajà has produced some of the most age-worthy wines in the Barbaresco appellation. These expressions take longer to evolve in the bottle. You might remember Bruno Rocca's Barbaresco Coparossa? It was a blend of fruit from various sites, including San Cristoforo and Pajore. Coparossa is now discontinued, but the estate's top-shelf selection, the Barbaresco Maria Adelaide, will continue to be produced. Maria Adelaide is dedicated to Bruno Rocca's mother who drank one glass of her son's Barbaresco each and every day. The next vintage of Maria Adelaide will be 2013, and we will see its release in 2020.

94+ points ML robertparker.com Jun 2018