2010 Barbaresco Ovello Vigna Loreto

Following the untimely death of Angelo Rocca last fall in the crash of his private plane, this top Barbaresco estate is now being run by his three daughters, Daniela, Monica and Paola.Enologist Beppe Caviola, who consulted for Rocca for a decade, continues to make the wine here.The estate was just picking its moscato in mid-September when I stopped by to taste with Daniela, who gave up a career in banking to return to the family estate a few years ago.The Roccas are clearly enamored of the 2011 vintage in Barbaresco, as they made their first riserva since 2006, which Daniela described as "a measure of the vintage's quality and aging potential."As with a number of other producers I visited in September, Rocca is making greater use of large oak casks made in Austria by Stockinger; in fact, as of 2010, their Barbaresco Ronchi is raised entirely in larger barrels. (A Marc de Grazia selection, www.marcdegrazia.com; importers include Michael Skurnik Wines, www.skurnikwines.com and Estate Wines Ltd., www.estatewinesltd.com)

It was a hot day towards the end of August 2012. I remember it well, because Moscato was being crushed that day and the winery was full of the heady aromas of fermenting must. That was the last day I saw and tasted with Angelo Rocca. A few weeks later, Rocca passed away in a light airplane crash. Recently, another Barbaresco grower told me he almost flew with Rocca that day, but changed his mind at the last minute. Life can be so fickle. Angelo Rocca rose to fame in the 1990s with a series of flashy, racy Barbarescos that embodied the essence of the modern school. I was honestly never really sure if Rocca himself liked those wines. In recent years, the wines had become more refined, partly the result of a move towards larger casks. Rocca's 2010s are gorgeous. I am not sure if that is the result of the vintage, or more reflective of a stylistic shift, something that is does appear evident throughout the range. I only know one of Angelo Rocca's daughters, Daniela, but I hope she and her siblings continue the work of their father, as I get the sense it is up to them to finish things in progress, and then eventually take the domain to the next level.