Bruno Rocca : Barbaresco Currà Riserva 2020

Characteristics and tasting advice for Bruno Rocca's Barbaresco Currà Riserva 2020

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a bright ruby-red hue, enhanced by garnet highlights.

Nose

The nose opens on an elegant, complex bouquet dominated by floral notes of rose and violet. Aromas of fresh red fruits—especially redcurrant, raspberry and tangy cherry—bring lovely freshness. With aeration, nuances of dried flowers, fine herbs and delicate spices emerge, alongside a refined mineral touch that is almost metallic, the hallmark of the cru Currà’s calcareous-sandy terroir.

Palate

On the palate, this wine charms with its elegance and refinement. The attack is polished, delivering a pure fruit expression of black cherry, blackberry and plum. The tannic structure stands out for its silky, velvety texture, perfectly integrated. The palate reveals fine breadth, with layers of complexity including subtle herbal nuances, spices from aging in French oak barrels, and the cru’s hallmark minerality. The well-defined acidity brings liveliness and balance, while the finish lingers with persistent fruity notes and a slight sweetness, leaving a harmonious impression that balances immediate approachability with depth.

Food and wine pairings

This Barbaresco Currà Riserva 2020 is an ideal match for braised, roasted or grilled red meats such as beef, lamb or game. It also pairs beautifully with aged hard cheeses, notably Piedmont mountain cheeses. Dishes featuring noble mushrooms such as porcini or truffles, as well as dark-meat poultry served with reduced black-fruit sauces, also make excellent pairings.

Serving and cellaring

It is recommended to serve Barbaresco Currà Riserva 2020 at a temperature between 16 and 18°C. Decanting for one hour helps aerate the wine and fully reveal its aromatic complexity. This wine can be enjoyed now but will continue to evolve favorably until around 2035, or even beyond under optimal cellaring conditions.

An elegant, mineral Barbaresco Riserva from Piedmont

The estate

Founded in 1978 by Bruno Rocca in the Piedmont region, the estate spans fifteen hectares spread between Barbaresco and Neive. The Rocca family has grown vines in Barbaresco since 1834, but it was Bruno, a former employee at Ferrero, who decided to vinify under his own name rather than sell the grapes. Today, Bruno runs the estate alongside his children Francesco and Luisa, who represent the third generation. The estate stands out for its environmentally respectful viticulture, its old vines in the Rabajà cru, and its philosophy that “it is the land, not the producer, that is expressed in the wine.” Annual production is around seventy thousand bottles.

The vineyard

The Barbaresco Currà Riserva comes from the cru Currà, located in the commune of Neive. This roughly four-hectare vineyard enjoys a south-southwest exposure and extends over slopes between 220 and 300 meters above sea level. The soils are calcareous-sandy in nature, composed primarily of Sant'Agata blue marls, rich in silicates, carbonates and volcanic ash. The vines, thirty-five to forty years old, are trained in Guyot and farmed using environmentally respectful practices. This distinctive terroir gives the wine its signature minerality and aromatic complexity.

The vintage

The 2020 vintage in Piedmont was marked by a mild, dry winter, followed by early budbreak in spring. The growing season unfolded under cool temperatures, particularly during spring and summer, allowing slow, steady ripening of the grapes. Moderately warm days alternated with cool nights, encouraging aromatic development and preserving acidity. Harvest took place in early October in sunny conditions, enabling the picking of perfectly ripe, balanced grapes with fine freshness.

Vinification and aging

The grapes for Barbaresco Currà Riserva 2020 are harvested by hand with rigorous selection. After destemming, the berries are gently pressed using pneumatic pressure. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks for twenty to twenty-five days, allowing a gradual extraction of tannins and color. The wine is then aged in French oak barrels for twenty-four to thirty-six months, followed by additional bottle aging for twenty-four months before release. This extended aging promotes tannin integration and the development of aromatic complexity.

Grape variety

100% Nebbiolo