VINEYARD | The vineyard of all vineyards: a parcel of one hectare planted in 1947 in Serralunga d'Alba. The training system is guyot, southern exposure, altitude marking 355 metres, the soils are purely calcareous. We recall that Bruno Giacosa's legendary Collina Rionda label was born from this very parcel. The vineyard belonged to Tommaso Canale, subsequently inherited by Ester Canale, the mother of Davide Rosso, who we find today at the helm. From here two wines are produced, the younger plants give life to Langhe Nebbiolo Ester Canale Rosso (another amazing wine), while the few rows of 1947 encapsulate the Vigna Rionda Ester Canale Rosso, the first vintage was 2011. After harvest and fermentation, the wine rests in 16 hl Slavonian oak barrels for about 30 months.
PERSON | For more than 20 years now, Davide, Giovanni Rosso's son, has taken over the baton of a historic winery of undisputed quality. His approach was surprising, through the search for authenticity and purity of expression he managed to make an already widely established brand grow in terms of fame and quality. Surely the possibility of transforming the grapes from the amazing Vigna Rionda helped to achieve this goal, but it is the very high quality of the whole line that is most surprising, obtained thanks to a typical procedure, with concrete tanks and large barrels for the final ageing. Davide has several important experiences matured in Burgundy, and a sensitivity that we find in his Langhe wines.
WINE | Beyond our taste logic. It is not the first time that we have felt a certain sense of magic by tasting this parcel. The aromas are pure and very fine, ranging from rose to licorice, relaunched by balsamic essences and inviting hints of black tea and gentian. The palate is disarming for progression and lunge. The pace is up-tempo, but what strikes is an airy, weightless, graceful and continuous progression. It's hard to find wines that have so much to say without raising their voice. The tannic texture is dense, but it is nothing short of caressing, for a drink that gives goosebumps. Definitely, it is the best Barolo we tasted of the 2018 vintage. The finish is rich in flavour, a symphony of spices, flowers and fruits, in an exquisitely pure and classic register. Chapeau.
