We were recently celebrating Cheri’s birthday, and such an event calls for a trip into the cellar for something special. In this case that meant a bottle of the 2010 Ronchi Barbaresco from Albino Rocca. We are big fans of Albino Rocca wines, and have been ever since we visited the winery, spent some time barrel tasting with Daniela Rocca, and then tasted through their entire line. We’ve been buying their wines for our personal stash ever since. This is a great opportunity to take a look at a quality Barbaresco with some bottle age on it. During our visit in 2014 we tried the 2009 and 2011 versions of this wine, and they were both excellent. We were even fortunate enough to taste the 2012 from cask, which was just a baby. You can read about our trip to Albino Rocca, and their wines, by clicking here. Here are our notes on the 2010:
Wine: 2010 Albino Rocca Barbaresco – Ronchi Vineyard
Winery Location: Barbaresco – Piemonte – Italy
Tasted By: Neil & Cheri Date: July 2017
Tasting Notes: the wine is purple to garnet, and not true red. The color is richly hued however, and the wine is transparent. The nose is full of berry and cherry fruit, leather and spice, along with some tar. On the palate the wine is quite rich, and brings cherry fruit predominantly, with raspberry as well. The tannins are firm but integrated, the acid fresh and balanced, and the finish is long and satisfying. In summary, this is a pretty killer Barbaresco. When it’s done right, the Nebbiolo grape is hard to beat. This is drinking wonderfully right now, but will last quite a long time yet.
Price Point – you might still find this in the $45-$55 price range.
Would We Buy It? – we would. This is a pretty killer bottle of Barbaresco.
If you are lucky enough to get to Barbaresco, stop by Albino Rocca for some good wine and a tour of the cellar. This is a family run winery which will show you what Barbaresco is all about. If you do go, say hello to Daniela for us!
We can’t wait to go back.
A votre santé!
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