Winemaker Notes
Angelo Rocca is committed to quality in his winery, and his vineyards. For generations his family has grown grapes in the hills of Barbaresco, starting at the turn of the 20th century.
Today Angelo continues to work in the vineyards as well as the cellar. He seeks balance and harmony in combining traditional techniques and modern technologies.
Slowly but steadily he has increased the size of his estate to its current 18 hectares. With most of his vineyards located in Barbaresco, Angelo also has vineyards in Neive as well as in the small village San Rocco Seno d'Elvio, which is located right outside of the town of Alba but is still in the Barbaresco appellation. In addition to Nebbiolo and Barbaresco, the grape and wine that are Angelo's greatest passion, the estate also produces Barbera, Dolcetto, Cortese and Chardonnay.
An historic village situated right in between the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, Alba is also the name for the larger wine region surrounding the village.
In a sense, “Alba” is a catch-all phrase, and includes the declassified Nebbiolo wines made in Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the Nebbiolo grown just outside of these regions’ borders. In fact, Nebbiolo d’Alba is a softer, less tannic and more fruit-forward wine ready to drink within just a couple years of bottling. It is a great place to start if you want to begin to understand the grape. Likewise, the even broader category of Langhe Nebbiolo offers approachable and value-driven options as well.
Barbera, planted alongside Nebbiolo in the surrounding hills, and referred to as Barbera d’Alba, takes on a more powerful and concentrated personality compared to its counterparts in Asti.
Dolcetto is ubiquitous here and, known as Dolcetto d'Alba, can be found casually served alongside antipasti on the tables of Alba’s cafes and wine bars.
Not surprisingly, given its location, Alba is recognized as one of Italy’s premiere culinary destinations and is the home of the fall truffle fair, which attracts visitors from worldwide every year.
An easy drinking red with soft fruity flavors—but catchy tannins, Dolcetto is often enjoyed in its native Piedmont on a casual weekday night, or for apertivo (the canonical Piedmontese pre-dinner appetizer hour). Somm Secret—In most of Piedmont, easy-ripening Dolcetto is relegated to the secondary sites—the best of which are reserved for the king variety: Nebbiolo. However, in the Dogliani zone it is the star of the show, and makes a more serious style of Dolcetto, many of which can improve with cellar time.