2019 Langhe Rosso
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Tasting notes
Luca Roagna likes to joke that this is the worst wine he makes. "It is made with all the leftovers," he says. The 2019 Langhe Rosso sees Nebbiolo from Barolo and Barbaresco, pretty much in equal parts. There is some Pira and Pajè along with young vine fruit from other parcels, some of which suffered mudslide damage in the 1990s and required replanting. This wine was first produced in 2000. The labor required to make it is intense because Luca needs to scope out the young vines buried within a rich patrimony of old vines. "I am a squarehead," he says. This entry-level wine is a provocation. In fact, it could technically be classified as Barolo or Barbaresco if it were not a blend of the two appellations. It sees the same five-year winemaking and oak aging regime as those wines. The 2019 vintage shows good concentration, balanced acidity and a firm backbone. There's a lot of fresh fruit here with pressed flowers and roses.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
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The 2019 Langhe Rosso is fabulous. It captures all the pedigree of this great vintage but in a slightly more open style (especially in its aromatics) that renders it quite approachable. Crushed flowers, dried cherry, spice, mint and sweet pipe tobacco are all nicely lifted. Already quite approachable, the 2019 is ready to go. The 2019 is Pira's young vines Nebbiolo. About two-thirds of the fruit is from Pira; the rest is Albesani, Gallina and Paje. Aging is a bit more than two years in cask, a touch less than in the past.
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.