Poderi Colla - Barbaresco Roncaglie, Piedmont, Italy (2020)

TASTING NOTES

South-facing Roncaglie vineyard is one of Barbaresco's most celebrated crus. This has a super complex bouquet, full of the leather, tar and rose nuances that are hallmarks of Barbaresco, along with spice and forest floor. Approachable now or can be cellared for 10 years.

As early as 1880, Roncaglie was already recognised as one of the best and most important areas for Barbaresco production. Situated between 240 and 280 metres above sea level, vines were planted in 1970, 1980 and 1995. Vine density is around 4,000 to 5,000 plants per hectare and the average yield is 4,000 litres per hectare. Harvesting is usually done between 5th to 15th October.

The Nebbiolo grapes (Lampia and Michet subvarieties) are destemmed and pressed and the must is macerated on the skins for around 12 to 15 days at 30 degrees Centigrade. The wine is transferred to some Slavonian and some French oak casks (partly new) and left to mature for 12 to 14 months. After maturation with wine is racked to stainless steel vats before bottling.

Established in 1993 by Tino Colla (brother of the legendry Beppe Colla) and his niece Federica, Poderi Colla is very much a family affair and continues the Colla family's three centuries of winemaking heritage in northern Italy.

Tino and Federica believe in a non-interventionist approach to winemaking, to give each wine a unique expression of site and vintage, and they take sustainability and the environment as seriously as their wines.

They produce wines from three outstanding sites in Alba and cover nearly the entire spectrum of Alba styles - using their own grapes from vineyards in Bricco del Drago, Tenuta Roncaglie (Barbaresco) and Tenuta Dardi le Rose (Barolo). The wines are balanced, rich and complex.