"This is a stellar set of wines from Luca Roagna." -Antonio Galloni
Last Wednesday, we offered Roagna 2018 Barolo Pira, which was one of the stars of a recent tasting.
Today, I'm excited to offer the two other standouts from the tasting: Barbaresco Albesani and Barbaresco Pajé.
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As I wrote in the Pira offer, Roagna produced some of our favorite 2018s. They handled the vintage masterfully. Roagna managed tannins beautifully. The wines have gorgeous levity and a vivid expression of classic Nebbiolo characteristics: savory notes, herbs, and floral notes.
The Albesani cru is the source of Giacosa’s famed Santo Stefano. The parcel that Roagna rents is near Giacosa’s and is situated in the sweet spot of the cru. Albesani has a high limestone content, and it makes itself felt in a wine of incredible breeding, precision, and beautiful aromatics. It’s finessed, energetic, and possesses a tensile mineral core.
The 2018 Albesani really highlights the grace and subtlety of Roagna's 2018s. It's a wine that I consistently like, so much so that I made the 2014 vintage my wine of the year in 2020. However, the 2018 Albesani captures your attention with its purity and sheer elegance.
It's difficult to think of Roagna and not think of the Pajé vineyard. They have other great sites, like Asili, but Pajé often seems like the beating heart of the estate. Year after year, Pajé is one of the top wines in Roagna's line-up.
In 2018, Pajé flaunts the explosive aromatics and mineral spine that the wine is capable of. There's an incredible perfume and a finely etched structure. In short, it's a really beautiful example of the cru.
Like I said in the 2018 Pira offering, I'm always happy to offer Roagna. They are one of Piedmont's elite, and no doubt Barbaresco's standardbearer. Thankfully, prices have yet to catch up with their peers.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare
Crush Wine & Spirits
