Roagna

Back then, a dowry changed everything. In 1929, a triangular plot of land changed hands – not through purchase, but through marriage. Since then, Montefico has belonged to the Roagna family, longer than any other vineyard in their portfolio. Almost a century later, this quarter of a hectare remains the most intimate chapter in their history. In the Piedmontese dialect, this plot is known as "Mont der fi" – the hill over there, towards Neive. The small triangle lies exactly in the centre of the amphitheatre, at 230 metres, overlooking the neighbouring village. The soils, consisting of calcareous marl with a high proportion of active limestone, are among the oldest in Barbaresco – the result of seventy million years of marine sedimentation. The vines, all over 50 years old, are deeply rooted in this history. Of the family's four "Vecchie Viti", Montefico is the one with the most intense aroma.

912 bottles. That's all the plot yields. And sometimes the most precious things lie right on your doorstep. Behind the family home, below Vigna Terlo, opposite Le Coste – that's where Romina, Lucas's partner, owns 1,700 square metres of Nebbiolo. What began as a family vineyard became, in 2013, the youngest and rarest wine in the Roagna portfolio: a Barolo from Barolo, from the municipality that gave its name to it all. Luca deliberately avoids using an MGA designation. His plot in Terlo, he says, behaves differently from its neighbours – earthier, more idiosyncratic, less characterised by the finesse that distinguishes Coste and Ravera. However, the site's cool microclimate lends the wine a lovely tension and chalky tannins – whilst the soil imparts that organic sweetness which critics liken to redcurrants, irises and damp potting soil.

Roagna's Barbaresco Pajè Vecchie Viti opens with a bright garnet-red colour and a deep, shiny glow. The fruit of old vines manages to reach the impossible point between power and elegance. The wine shows a delicate and bright bouquet, but also a compact fruit and a long finish. You can feel this extra fullness on the finish. The production is around 2,500 bottles. SUPERIORE.DE

This breathtaking Barbaresco (total production approx. 1,300 bottles) shows more power and intensity than you would normally find in a Barbaresco. It opens with heady aromas of wild berries, new leather, undergrowth and menthol. On the palate, it shows ripe black raspberries, juicy cherries and liquorice before finishing on a tobacco note. It is still youthfully nervous and somewhat austere, it still needs some time to develop fully. SUPERIORE.DE

When Luca Roagna guides guests through his wines, he serves this one last. Not by chance, not for dramatic effect – but because nothing can come after the Pajè Vecchie Viti. The wine with the most pronounced tannic structure, he says, deserves the final say. The vines from which this Barbaresco is made are 80–90 years old. This is not a marketing term – the law does not recognise "Vecchie Viti" – but a simple truth. Over the decades, the roots have learnt to dig through countless layers of calcareous marl, drawing water and minerals from depths that remain inaccessible to younger vines. What they send upwards is more concentrated, more complex and utterly unique. Between 2,000 and 3,000 bottles are produced annually from this selection in the Pajè amphitheatre. The upper part of the vineyard, where the mineral character is most pronounced, goes into the Crichet Pajè – down here, the Vecchie Viti is made. It matures for five years in large wooden casks and concrete tanks before leaving the estate.

Some vineyards are bought. Some are inherited. This one was won at cards. In 1961, a 0.22-hectare plot in the heart of Asili changed hands – the previous owner, so the story goes, had been exceptionally unlucky at cards. Giovanni Roagna had the better hand. Or perhaps he had better luck. The Piedmontese called this site "Asei" in their dialect – one of the historic vineyards south of the village of Barbaresco. The plot lies exactly in the centre of the hill, where Luca Roagna identifies the "most classic" part of the cru. The soil is characterised by calcareous marl interspersed with reddish-yellow veins of sand. The vines, now at least 80 years old, are not tended – they are left to their own devices. Wild grasses cover the ground; Luca does not plough, and the permaculture remains untouched.

1937. Europe was on the brink of disaster, yet someone planted Nebbiolo. These vines still stand today – some on their original roots, protected by calcareous soils in which the phylloxera had never been able to take hold decades earlier. Others were propagated using an ancient technique: a shoot from the mother vine is bent underground, takes root and becomes a vine in its own right. Genetically identical, yet reborn. In this way, the vineyard rejuvenates itself without losing its identity. One and a half hectares within the Pira monopoly position are reserved for these 'veterans'. Antonio Galloni described the 2019 vintage as "one of the most moving, beautiful wines I have ever tasted here" – 99 points for something that is, in truth, beyond rating. For this Barolo is not about power, but about aroma and depth.

Back then, a dowry changed everything. In 1929, a triangular plot of land changed hands – not through purchase, but through marriage. Since then, Montefico has belonged to the Roagna family, longer than any other vineyard in their portfolio. Almost a century later, this quarter of a hectare remains the most intimate chapter in their history. In the Piedmontese dialect, this plot is known as "Mont der fi" – the hill over there, towards Neive. The small triangle lies exactly in the centre of the amphitheatre, at 230 metres, overlooking the neighbouring village. The soils, consisting of calcareous marl with a high proportion of active limestone, are among the oldest in Barbaresco – the result of seventy million years of marine sedimentation. The vines, all over 50 years old, are deeply rooted in this history. Of the family's four "Vecchie Viti", Montefico is the one with the most intense bouquet.

"Transparent ruby red with a crimson rim. Spicy notes of cloves, allspice, mace and pepper mingle with cherries, laurel and raspberry jelly, currant leaves and floral top notes of orange blossom complete the delight. On the palate, Crichët Pajé presents itself with great calm in a steady flow. Nothing is cheeky or exuberant here, but shines with distinguished elegance - an equilibrium in perfect balance. The aromatically exuberant nose is disciplined on the palate by the long, calm flow of the focussed, cool acidity, on whose shores fully ripe and fine-grained tannins entwine. Silky with an almost aristocratic nobility, its enormous complexity is revealed in the second sip, when the flavours begin to unfold in the epic finish like a massive Win-Zip file. A wine for today, for tomorrow and for many, many years to come. Undisputed world class." Sebastian Bordthäuser (Sommelier und Wein-Journalist)

Every year, Crichët Pajé is one of the most captivating and striking wines you will ever discover in Piedmont. It has a ripe, savoury style with a fruit profile that tends towards cherry and plum compote flavours, accented by coffee, soy, tar and mineral notes, all supported by a dense layer of massive tannins. Despite the ripe fruit profile, this wine is surprisingly fresh on the finish and has excellent length. This still young wine should age for decades. SUPERIORE.DE

"Transparent ruby red with a crimson rim. Spicy notes of cloves, allspice, mace and pepper mingle with cherries, laurel and raspberry jelly, currant leaves and floral top notes of orange blossom complete the delight. On the palate, Crichët Pajé presents itself with great calm in a steady flow. Nothing is cheeky or exuberant here, but shines with distinguished elegance - an equilibrium in perfect balance. The aromatically exuberant nose is disciplined on the palate by the long, calm flow of the focussed, cool acidity, on whose shores fully ripe and fine-grained tannins entwine. Silky with an almost aristocratic nobility, its enormous complexity is revealed in the second sip, when the flavours begin to unfold in the epic finish like a massive Win-Zip file. A wine for today, for tomorrow and for many, many years to come. Undisputed world class." Sebastian Bordthäuser (Sommelier und Wein-Journalist)

Crichët Pajé 2015 is one of the most captivating and striking wines anyone can discover in Piedmont. It possesses a ripe, savoury style with a fruit profile that tends towards cherry and plum compote flavours, accented by coffee, soy, tar and mineral notes, all supported by a dense layer of massive tannins. Despite the ripe fruit profile, this wine is surprisingly fresh on the finish and has excellent length. This still young wine should age for decades. SUPERIORE.DE