La Ca' Nova, Barbaresco DOCG, 2022

This estate has quietly been making outstanding, terroir-driven Barbarescos for generations from two of the denomination’s top crus, Montestefano and Montefico. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect is that these polished and compelling wines are made without utilizing modern technology. Pietro Rocca, the family’s smiling and modest patriarch, is a fourth generation of grape grower. In the early 1970s, he began making and bottling Barbarescos; before that, his family sold their grapes to none other than Angelo God. There is no secret as to why these wines are quintessential expressions of Nebbiolo – it all starts in the vineyards with healthy grapes that are allowed to reach an optimal ripeness. Their single vineyard bottlings come from two of the most coveted sites in Barbaresco. Montestefano produces some of the most structured Barbarescos, and the Roccas own prime parcels situated at 270 m above sea level with full southern exposures. Motefico, where the Roccas own the Bric Mentina vineyard, has a similar altitude, Southern and southeastern exposure, and marl soil. Local legend has it that Montefico was once owned by Domizio Cavazza, the founding father of Barbaresco.