There are a lot of big, fancy stands at Vinitaly. Some are there because the wines are crap and they think that by putting on a big show, people will come to them. Others are big because their wines are brilliant, they have made a lot of money and they can afford to put on a big, professional looking display. Then there is Bruno Rocca.Sitting around a table, with an Italian couple tagging onto our tasting, in a big communal area where many smaller producers gather to show their wines, where Luisa Rocca showed us her family's wines.
2007 Bruno Rocca Dolcetto d’Alba Vigna Trifole
Nice, gentle fruit, a little green pepper. Cherry lips and dried leafy fruit. Nice. 8/10
2006 Bruno Rocca Barbera d’Alba
Soft, easy ripe berry fruits. A little cinnamon and pomegranite. Very good. 9/10
2005 Bruno Rocca Barberesco
Fresh mint stalks, a little dry tannin. Good vegetal fruit, nice clean finish with earthy fruit. Dried raspberries on the finish. 8/10
2004 Bruno Rocca Barberesco Coparossa
Tannin. Dark and spicy. 9/10
2005 Bruno Rocca Barberesco Rabaja
Juicy, sweet fruit. Palate is hot, great weight, HUGE spice and HUGER tannin. Concentrated. 9/10
2004 Bruno Rocca ‘Maria Adelaide’ Barbaresco
Named after Bruno Rocca's mother who only lived long enough to see one vintage, Maria Aelaide's granddaughter, Luisa, had a tear in her eye when she told us the story behind this wine. Rich, full fruit and spice. Palate is soft, with firm tannins, a wallop of spice. Gentle finish, dry and cherry stone flavours. 8.5/10
With simple, feather designs on the labels, these wines are very good value for money despite them starting at around £15. To me though, they would be more appealing to a restaurant list rather than a retailer's list. They are good wines, don't get me wrong, but they would be a serious hard sell, and explaining the feather on the label, would get tiresome for even the biggest fan of these wines. Having said that, I love them.
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