1999 Barolo La Rocca e La Pira
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Tasting notes
Good medium red. Exotic red berries, marzipan and dried flowers on the nose, complicated by a deep nutty quality and a balsamic aspect. Suave and smooth on entry, then silky and vinous in the middle, with lovely depth of flavor and mouthcoating sweetness to the sappy flavors. Quite dry but rich, seamless and complex, with an intriguing mineral complexity. The long, mounting finish features perfectly buffered dusty tannins that coat the entire mouth. Luca Roagna's Barolos may spend anywhere from three to ten years in barrel, and are held at least two years before being released.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 1999 Barolo La Rocca e La Pira opens with a similarly dark-toned yet translucent ruby color and a nuanced, balsamic nose followed by layers of vibrant sweet fruit that blossom onto the plate with awesome purity, class and elegance. As it sits in the glass a multitude of smoke, tar, violets, menthol and spice nuances make an appearance, completing this delicious, classically structured Barolo. In 1999 some of the wood uprights were new and this wine shows a note of sweet toasted oak that is somewhat uncharacteristic for this producer.
The 1999 Barolo La Rocca e La Pira opens with a dark-toned yet translucent ruby color and a nuanced, balsamic nose followed by layers of vibrant sweet fruit that blossom onto the palate with awesome purity, class and elegance. As it sits in the glass a multitude of smoke, tar, violet, menthol and spice nuances make an appearance, completing this delicious, classically structured Barolo. In 1999 some of the wood foudres were new and this wine shows a note of sweet toasted oak that is somewhat uncharacteristic for this producer. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2024. Importer: Louis Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334-8191.
About the producer
Roagna is one of Italy’s finest estates, producing top, single-vineyard Nebbiolos in Barbaresco and Barolo. The estate’s Crichët Pajé Barbaresco is one of the rarest fine wine cuvées in Piedmont with fewer than 2,000 bottles produced each year.