2020 Albino Rocca Ovello Vigna Loreto Barbaresco, Piedmont

The 2020 Barbaresco Ovello Vigna Loreto is a bright, nervy Barbaresco. Kirsch, dried flowers, chalk, mint and white pepper give the 2020 its distinctive upper register. This mid-weight, vibrant Barbaresco needs time to soften. It is the most reticent of these wines.

93 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com

Barbaresco’s Ovello Cru spans a ridge with both slopes of the crest planted to vines. Within this large Cru are several delimited parcels (historical plots, if you like). Rocca’s Vigna Loreto is one of them, a tiny plot that is effectively a monopole. Vines here are around 45 years old, and the fruit was first vinified as a separate bottling in 1990. Sitting on the sunnier, southwestern side of the ridge, these vines directly face the moderating influence of the Tanaro River, so the nights are much cooler than on the other side of the Cru. The clay and limestone soils are also sandier and lighter than in the rest of Ovello, giving the wines here far more finesse. On the other hand, vines from Loreto must be cropped at 10 hl/ha less than other Ovello vines if the wine is bottled under the parcel name, so this wine balances its finesse with real density. As in most years, you get Ronchi’s architecture and Cottà’s prettiness here.