Brovia Barolo Rocche di Castiglione 2018
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Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
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Wine Enthusiast
Drop-dead gorgeous and utterly delicious, this dazzling, fragrant red opens with heady aromas of iris, forest berry, new leather and culinary spice. The elegantly structured, focused palate features juicy red cherry, spiced cranberry, cinnamon and star anise before a savory, almost salty close. Firm, refined tannins provide support while bright acidity keeps it energized and beautifully balanced. Drink 2026–2038.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Alex Sanchez makes memorable wines. His Brovia 2018 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione hits close to home, as this vineyard in Castiglione Falletto is especially elegant and well managed. The wine shows pinpoint precision with small berry nuances, wildflower and crushed stone. The mineral signature adds beautiful focus.
Other Vintages
2019-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
L'azienda Brovia is a traditional Piemontese family winegrowing estate. Giacinto Brovia began making wine there in 1863 followed by his son Antonio. Phylloxera, economic upheaval and finally the war interrupted production for almost 30 years. In 1953 Giacinto, Raffaele and Marina were old enough to take over the farm and resume winemaking. Family involvement doesn't end there however, after earning their oenology degrees, daughters Elena and Cristina have chosen to join their parents as well.
Grandfather Giacinto was a wise man and chose some of the best sites in the region for his vineyards. Brovia owns land in the best "cru" of Piedmont such as Rocche, Villero and Garblét Sue. These different vineyard plots represent a range of soil types, from heavier clay to direr limestone. The Brovias are extremely conscientious winegrowers and the accumulated experience of generations means that they know the characteristics of each of their vineyards, if not of each of the individual vines, and the wines that come from them. Nevertheless, they perform soil analyses every two years to ensure that the elements are in equilibrium for the vines to produce high quality grapes. Pruning is done with care and clusters are thinned again in the summer. Harvest is done entirely by hand and usually begins in late September with the Dolcetto, Arneis and Barbera, the Nebbiolo ripens later, near mid October.
Giancinto Brovia vinifies his wines in the classic style. Grapes are lightly crushed before going into the fermentation tanks. Fermentation generally lasts between 15 and 20 days at a temperature near 28 degrees Celsius for the Barolo, somewhat less for the other reds. the Barolo are aged for two years in "botti" made of Slavonian and French oak. The Dolcetto, Barbarseco and Barbera are aged mainly in stainless steel tanks, with a portion going into French oak barrels for 9 - 10 months. the Roero Arneis is vinified and aged in stainless steel. Brovia bottles his wines without filtration.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.