2022 Bruno Rocca Fralu Langhe Nebbiolo, Piedmont

Bruno Rocca Fralù Langhe Nebbiolo is far more than a junior Barbaresco. It’s an articulate, finely detailed wine that reflects the vision of one of Piedmont’s great artisan producers, offering clarity, structure, and vibrancy in spades. While it carries the Langhe DOC designation, the fruit behind Fralù comes from meticulously farmed younger parcels in Barbaresco and Neive, many just across the road from the family's prized cru vineyards like Rabajà. This wine is about finesse, terroir, and accessibility without compromise.

The Rocca family began bottling under their own label in 1978, when Bruno Rocca left the local cooperative to follow a more artisanal path. That move coincided with a broader shift in Barbaresco, where vignerons began realising the value of estate wines that fully expressed their terroir. Since then, the Roccas have been known for their Burgundian approach to Nebbiolo—low yields, organic farming, spontaneous fermentations, and a preference for finesse over force. Fralù is no exception.

Fermented in stainless steel with native yeasts and aged briefly in used French oak barriques, Fralù is built for freshness and vibrancy, showcasing the more aromatic, lifted side of Nebbiolo. It opens with classic scents of wild strawberry, sour cherry, rose petal, dried thyme and blood orange peel, followed by delicate hints of leather and white pepper. The tannins are fine-grained but present, gliding across a palate laced with minerality, red fruits and a subtle balsamic note on the finish.

Fralù is perfect for those who love the perfume and clarity of Nebbiolo but don’t always want to wait a decade for it to hit its stride. Serve it slightly cooler than room temperature with dishes like tajarin with butter and sage, veal tonnato, grilled lamb chops or aged pecorino. It’s a Nebbiolo that delivers real Barbaresco DNA with a more youthful frame and a drink-now charm.

Drink from release through to 6 or 7 years from vintage, though the best vintages can quietly impress well beyond that.