There’s a kinship between the winemakers of Burgundy and Piedmont, and it’s often to Piedmont that Burgundy’s greatest winemakers turn when they wish to drink reds other than Pinot Noir. And which estates’ wines do they seek out? For many, Roagna tops the list.
Sampling any single wine among today’s releases from Luca and Alfredo Roagna quickly explains such reverence. The vintage in focus is 2018. It’s a vintage Luca describes as ‘elegant, pure and approachable’ and also ‘classic’ in terms of the wines’ potential for ageing. They are typically mid-weight and, in many cases, disarmingly expressive even now, but with a presence, persistence and sense of place that is simply beguiling.
The 2018 growing season was not without challenges. An exceptionally damp spring followed by hail in mid-July called for arduous work in the vineyards to fight the threat of disease. But hard work comes as standard at Roagna: for all their affability both Luca and Alfredo espouse a degree of perfectionism that is frankly awe-inspiring.
Now based in Castiglione Falletto in Barolo, Roagna is a name most associated with neighbouring Barbaresco. The Roagna family has been making wines here since the mid-Nineteenth Century. In 1958, Giovanni Roagna would, for the first time, vinify separately the fruit of a tiny parcel of vines towards the top of the Pajè vineyard, and so the mythical Crichët Pajè was born, a wine that cemented Roagna’s reputation as one of Piedmont’s premier producers.
That reputation has been enhanced under the stewardship of Giovanni’s son Alfredo, and his son Luca Roagna, who completed his studies and returned to the estate in 2001.
Stannary enjoys a close relationship with Luca and is grateful for a generous allocation of these new releases. Nonetheless, these are some of the most sought-after wines in our portfolio, for which demand invariably outstrips availability. We would therefore urge you to register your interest as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
