Bruno Rocca
Wine Spectator
94 - BARBARESCO DOCG 2015
A pretty red, leading with rose, strawberry and cherry aromas and flavors allied to an elegant frame, this is firmly structured, if a bit lacier in texture than many 2015s, with accents of earth, tobacco and tar. Ends with a chalky feel. Best from 2022 through 2040. 1,324 cases made, 151 cases imported.
91 - BARBARESCO DOCG 2016
Starts out elegant, featuring a core of cherry and plum flavors, flanked by tobacco, tar and menthol notes. Firms up, yet an element of sweet fruit matches the grip on the finish. Best from 2022 through 2035. 1,285 cases made, 120 cases imported.
94 - CURRA BARBARESCO DOCG 2015
Broad and spicy, featuring cherry, plum, floral, tar and tobacco aromas and flavors. This is full of energy that focuses the expansive finish. Best from 2023 through 2043. 335 cases made, 30 cases imported.
95 - RABAJA BARBARESCO RISERVA DOCG 2013
Macerated cherry and plum aromas and flavors highlight this warm, rich, inviting red. Fluid and complex, with leather, iron and spice accents permeating the extended, mouthwatering finish. Best from 2022 through 2039. 157 cases made, 8 cases imported.
Vinous
94 - CURRA BARBARESCO RISERVA DOCG 2013
The 2013 Barbaresco Riserva Currà is a wine of total class and refinement. Lifted and aromatic, with striking perfume, this mid-weight, polished Barbaresco has a lot to offer. Scents of sweet pipe tobacco, dried cherry, herb, anise and menthol add to the wine's complexity and nuance. The long, persistent finish, firm tannins and soaring perfume are classic Currà.-- Antonio Galloni
96 - MARIA ADELAIDE BARBARESCO 2013
The 2013 Barbaresco Maria Adelaide is a selection of the best fruit from both Rabajà and Currà. It is also the most overtly ample and creamy of these wines. Here, too, the wine's balance is simply compelling. Moreover, the natural power of Rabajà and the nerve of Currà are hugely complementary. The 2013 spent eighteen months in French oak. So much has changed here over the last few years. The Maria Adelaide remains the Barbaresco that is most closely linked to the wines Bruno Rocca made when he was solely in charge of the estate.
91 - BARBERA D'ASTI DOCG 2017
The 2017 Barbera d'Asti is dark, sumptuous and super-expressive, with striking interplay of richness from the warm, dry year and more mineral/savory notes typical of Asti that lurk beneath. Ripe dark cherry, plum, mocha, spice and licorice all develop in a flamboyant, concentrated Barbera that will drink well right out of the gate. This is impeccably done. The 2017 spent a year in French oak, but the wood is not especially evident. -- Antonio Galloni
90 - CURRA BARBARESCO DOCG 2016
The 2016 Barbaresco Currà is a very pretty, translucent wine. Sweet tobacco, incense, dried flowers and cedar give the 2016 lovely aromatic nuance. Here too, I find the wine a bit light, while the energy that is such a signature of this site is not really developed. -- Antonio Galloni
96 - RABAJA BARBARESCO RISERVA DOCG 2013
Rocca's 2013 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà captures all of the pure power that is such a signature of this justifiably famous site. Even though the 2013 was just bottled, it is deeply expressive and ample. Naturally, the aromatics and flavors need time to fully open up, but the wine's pedigree is obvious, even at this early stage. This is another impressive showing from the Rocca family. The 2013 Barbaresco Riserva emerges from a parcel in Rabajà that is separate from the estate's historic holdings and that is located in the southern part of the vineyard, closer to Cortese.
94 - RABAJA BARBARESCO RISERVA DOCG 2014
The 2014 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is dark, dense and powerful, with muscular tannins, all of which give the wine its distinctive brooding feel. There is real depth and substance in the glass. Some of the new oak influence (from a new cask in 2014) needs to integrate, but there is plenty of potential here. Sweet red cherry, hard candy, wild flowers and mint are some of the many notes that develop in the glass.
90 - TRIFOLE DOLCETTO D'ALBA 2017
The 2017 Dolcetto d'Alba Trifolè is one of the most interesting Dolcettos I tasted this year. Rocca vinified the 2017 in the same wood vats he uses for his top Barbarescos and gave the fruit 15 days on the skins, which is quite long. Ripe, racy with all of the richness of the year in evidence, the 2017 nevertheless retains a super-classic mid-weight sense of structure. It is a wine of remarkable nuance and detail.
90 - TRIFOLE DOLCETTO D'ALBA 2018
The 2018 Dolcetto d'Alba Trifolè is like a wine from another era, with mid-weight structure, floral lift and modest alcohol of just 13%. Super-varietal and polished, Rocca's 2018 is what Dolcetto is all about. The approach of fermentation in oak and aging in steel works beautifully here.
James Suckling
93- BARBARESCO DOCG 2015
Aromas of fresh plums and spices with hints of cedar following through to a medium body with tight and firm tannins. A flavorful finish. Juicy and spicy at the end. Drink now or hold.
92 - BARBARESCO DOCG 2016
A very floral offering from this producer, replete with lilacs, tulips and rose petals. Citrus undertones.Medium body, fine, silky tannins and a velvety finish. Drink from 2021.
91 -CURRA BARBARESCO DOCG 2015
Refined, savory wine with medium body and ultra-fine tannins that harbor orange peel and plums with hints of cedar. Drink now or hold.
93 - MARIA ADELAIDE BARBARESCO 2013
A meaty and earthy red with strawberries, meat, walnuts and flowers on the nose. Medium to full body, round and juicy tannins and a meat, red-fruit and lightly chocolatey finish. Drink or hold.
WA
92 - BARBARESCO DOCG 2015
Bruno Rocca's beautiful 2015 Barbaresco sees fruit sourced from various parcels, including the lower part of the Currà cru and the Fausoni vineyard. The farming crew was especially careful not to pull too many leaves during this hot summer, thus safeguarding much of the wine's natural acidity. Those watchful farming procedures also did much to guarantee primary fruit freshness and purity. Those results include dark cherry and blackberry aromas with spicy herbal notes on the close. The wine's texture is silky, and the tannins show a mild point of dryness.
94 - BARBARESCO DOCG 2016
The Bruno Rocca 2016 Barbaresco is a gorgeous wine that reveals impeccable balance, ongoing intensity and elegance, which accompany the wine from the start and continue straight through its long finish. The mouthfeel is buoyant and bright, yet there is a solid base of firm fruit and tannic backbone on the close. This is a buttoned-up and firmly etched expression of Nebbiolo from one of the most talented producers in Barbaresco. Great job, Bruno. He knocked out 15,426 of these beauties.
94 - BARBARESCO DOCG 2017
The classic Bruno Rocca 2017 Barbaresco surprisingly reveals cool-vintage aromas from what was in fact a warm growing season. When given ample time to open, this pretty Nebbiolo offers a long list of aromatic characteristics, starting off with a dusty note of white calcium that spans out to broad aromas of purple fruits and spice. However, that delicate mineral note is the wine's distinguishing factor, and it adds grace and enormous elegance to the finished results. You usually don't get this level of detail or finesse in the hot years, but this wine pulls it off without a hitch.
92 - BARBERA D’ALBA DOC 2018
This is a cozy and genuine wine made with fruit from old vines. The Bruno Rocca 2018 Barbera d'Alba opens to a velvety and richly saturated appearance. The aromas are focused for the most part on dark fruit, blackberry, sweet cherry and spice. This elegantly concentrated Barbera delivers a powerful 15% alcoholic content, and the winemaking process gives it 12 months to age in French oak. The wine finishes on a slightly sweet note with more cherry or blackberry preserves.
91 - BARBERA D'ASTI DOCG 2018
The Bruno Rocca 2018 Barbera d'Asti shows a lot of character with a strongly developed side that shows ripe black fruit, contrasted against a savory side with tobacco and garden soil. These territory-driven themes give the wine a deep sense of authenticity, with the kind of immediate, food-friendly personality that makes it the perfect choice for hand-kneaded pasta or wood-oven pizza with sourdough crust. To the palate, the wine delivers a good amount of fruit weight and balanced freshness. These are two more important traits when serving the wine next to a regional Italian pasta dish. It ages in French oak for a brief 12 months for added spice and structure.
93 - CURRA BARBARESCO DOCG 2015
This wine will be released next September and represents a totally new product from Bruno Rocca and his children. The Rocca family owns five hectares in the Currà cru and has been buying small parcels over the years since 2001. Fruit from the lower-altitude parts of the cru go to the Langhe Nebbiolo. The best parts end up in the 2015 Barbaresco Currà. The soils in this cru are characterized by an important mineral component with sandy limestone. Winemaking was executed with as little racking as possible to avoid contact with oxygen. The wine is crisp, contained and very elegant as a result. Drying mineral tones of flint and campfire ash add to the polished intensity of the bouquet.
95 -CURRA BARBARESCO DOCG 2016
This is an impressive wine that beautifully captures the classic personality of this vintage. The Bruno Rocca 2016 Barbaresco Currà sees fruit from Neive, a subzone that is often characterized by the subtle power and structure of its wines. In this vintage, Currà shows balanced fruit intensity with delicate hints of toasted almond, iron rust and aniseed. There is depth and persistence for long cellar aging. What I like best about this wine is that it captures the essence of Barbaresco, a winemaking zone focused on Nebbiolo that often delivers a more open-knit and fragile interpretation when compared to neighboring Barolo. Currà is aged in small oak barrels for one year, with a second year in large oak casks, topped off with 10 months in bottle.
96 - CURRA BARBARESCO RISERVA DOCG 2013
This represents the second edition of this new Riserva from Bruno Rocca. The 2013 Barbaresco Riserva Currà will hit the market this upcoming September. Years ago, back in 1981, Bruno Rocca made a wine with Currà fruit. He micro- vinified from tiny parcels patched together. This wine represents a second incarnation of that first experimental wine. That said, Bruno Rocca has extensive experience with this vineyard cru. Currà tends to produce softer, more velvety fruit compared to Rabajà, the vineyard most famously associated with this family-run estate. Currà has flinty and chalky soils that contribute to the tannic structure of the wine and its long-term aging potential. The wines are fermented in tank and aged in large oak casks. This beautifully fresh and crisp vintage delivers a lasting sense of strength, power and territory-specific character.
94 - CURRA BARBARESCO RISERVA DOCG 2014
Bruno Rocca and his family have recently started a Riserva program that allows us to enjoy his wines six years after the harvest. The 2014 Barbaresco Riserva Currà has evolved over this time to show soft and silky tannins, with light fruit tones, spice, blue flower and grilled herbs that dance around the perimeter of the bouquet. This wine focuses on the smaller details of Nebbiolo, its streamlined texture and the fragile aromas of the grape. The wine has aged in oak for 30 months and comes out boasting beautiful clarity and integration as a result. This vintage shows an extremely fine and seamless side of the grape. A mere 2,200 750-milliliter bottles were made.
96+ - MARIA ADELAIDE BARBARESCO 2013
Packaged with the black label, the Bruno Rocca 2013 Barbaresco Maria Adelaide pours from the bottle with a medium garnet color and an elegantly compact appearance. The bouquet has moved away from primary intensity to embrace some beautiful tertiary definition; however, it appears lively and bright nonetheless. This special bottling (made with a selection of the estate's best fruit) shows lots of the proverbial red fruit energy (as opposed to dark fruit) that is so specific to Nebbiolo. Maria Adelaide undergoes a more drawn out oak regime with 18 months in barrique followed by another 12 months in oak casks. A mere 3,000 bottles exist.
96 - RABAJA BARBARESCO DOCG 2016
Bruno Rocca is a protagonist of the Rabajà cru and has done much to bring this growing site to the world stage. The 2016 Barbaresco Rabajà is a determined wine that shows firm but measured power when given ample time to open. It just keeps going with energy, momentum and personality. The wine's aromas spill over to reveal wild berry, rose hip, crushed stone and powdered licorice. Rabajà gives the impression of being fresher in terms of mouthfeel, with pretty endnotes of aniseed and dried mint. Like the Currà, this wine ages in barrel, botte and bottle over the course of nearly three years before its commercial release.
96 - RABAJA BARBARESCO RISERVA DOCG 2013
Here is another first for Bruno Rocca: a Riserva expression from the family's most celebrated vineyard site. The 2013 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is a phenomenal achievement that flaunts an impeccable degree of focus and precision. We tasted this wine from two bottles, and this review is based on the second sample, which was superior to the first. The results here are articulate and coherent. Aromas of dark fruit, spice, tar and crushed mineral are tied tightly together with strength and harmony. This cooler vintage shows some tightness in terms of the wine's tannic structure, and I'm sure we will feel that tightness for years to come. This is a bottle that needs more time in the cellar.
95 - RABAJA BARBARESCO RISERVA DOCG 2014
The Bruno Rocca 2014 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is a subtle and soft expression that brings us a very elegant and ethereal side of Nebbiolo. This wine is part of the Rocca family's relatively new Riserva program, and it's so exciting to be able to taste this controversial vintage now, with some distance. The bouquet opens quietly and without much fanfare to reveal a slow succession of dried berries, smoke, camphor ash and crushed stone. These qualities all grow with time as the wine takes on air in the glass. Those pretty mineral accents are its most distinctive quality. A mere 1,880 bottles were made in addition to larger formats.
Wine Enthusiast
95 - BARBARESCO DOCG 2015
Aromas of dark-skinned berry, eucalyptus, blue flower and dried mint shape the nose. Aged in both barriques and large casks, this combines structure and finesse, with the firm, full-bodied palate delivering mature Morello cherry, pomegranate, tobacco and licorice set against taut, fine-grained tannins. It closes on an orange zest note while fresh acidity keeps it balanced. Drink 2022–2029.
93 - CURRA BARBARESCO DOCG 2015
Iris, violet, wild berry and a whiff of espresso take shape in the glass. The taut, linear palate offers dried cherry, cranberry, star anise and ground clove, while polished tannins provide the backbone. Drink 2021–2029.
91 - CURRA BARBARESCO RISERVA DOCG 2014
Truffle, espresso, hazelnut and blue flower aromas emerge from the glass along with whiffs of toasted oak. On the elegantly structured palate, fine-grained tannins support red cherry, blood orange, star anise and a hint of espresso. Bright acidity keeps it balanced. Drink through 2026.
96 - RABAJA BARBARESCO DOCG 2016
Fragrant, structured and loaded with finesse, this delicious red opens with enticing aromas of iris, perfumed berry and baking spice. Smooth and concentrated, it has a weightless elegance and compelling tension, featuring succulent Marasca cherry, raspberry compote and licorice framed in taut, polished tannins and fresh acidity. It's well-balanced and already tempting, but hold for even more complexity. Drink 2024–2036.