1999 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione Brovia

Brovia is one of Piedmont’s historic families. Giacinto Brovia worked sixty harvests until his passing last summer, a testament to the firmly held values of a local culture where farming and winemaking is a way of life rather than a job. Today, the estate is run by Brovia's daughters, Elena and Cristina, and Elena’s husband, Alex Sánchez. The Brovia wines have often been outstanding, but over the last two decades or so, quality and consistency have both surged, placing this small, family-run estate in the upper echelon of Barolo producers. Brovia bottles single-vineyard Barolos from Rocche di Castiglione, Villero and Garblèt Sué, all in Castiglione Falletto, and Brea in Serralunga, plus a straight Barolo that is made mostly from young vine Brea fruit.

In my view, the Rocche di Castiglione remains Brovia's flagship Barolo, although Brea has come on very strong since it was added to the range in the mid 1990s. Barolos from Rocche are distinguished by their floral aromatics, precise fruit and silky, polished tannins, all qualities that often give them early accessibility, but without sacrificing longevity. Stylistically, Rocche di Castiglione can be compared with Bricco Rocche, which sits just above, and also Monprivato for its ability to produce deceptively mid-weight yet age-worthy Barolos. This extensive vertical was a great opportunity to revisit many of the classics as well as a few wines from less well known but equally noteworthy vintages.

Brovia's 1999s belong to a time when quality was less consistent than it is today. The 1999s have mostly aged well, but there is little doubt that current releases, starting around 2004, are on an entirely different level. Much of that has to do with the arrival of Alex Sánchez, who married Elena Brovia and subsequently took over sales and marketing, giving Elena and her sister, Cristina, the ability to focus solely on farming and winemaking. The results since then have been nothing short of spectacular.

Over the last few years this estate has turned out a number of terrific wines that exemplify the new traditionalism of Barolo, faithfully expressing the distinct qualities of varietal, vintage and terroir in a style that is classic yet accessible at the same time. The estate works with old vines in some of the most prestigious sites in Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga. The average age of the plants is 30 years for Garblèt Sué (also known as Bricco Fiasco), 40 for Villero and Rocche, and 50 for Ca' Mia (also known as V oghera/Brea). Readers seeking fine, traditionally made Barolos would do well to check out these wines, which also happen to be among the most compelling values in the region. “For our Barolos we do roughly 20 days of fermentation and maceration in cement tanks with a temperature Piedmont Report Issue 7 between 28-30 ̊C (82-86 ̊F),” says Alex Sanchez, who left the corporate life at a major consulting firm when he married Elena Brovia. “The wines are then racked into 30 hectoliter French oak casks. We let the malos occur naturally and they are usually finished by the following spring. The wines age a total of two and half years in oak prior to being bottled. All our single-vineyard Barolos are vinified and aged the same way in order to highlight the differences of the terroirs we work with. The only real exception is our Barolo normale, which is aged in a 100 hectoliter Slavonian oak cask.” This producer's normale is one of the best-kept secrets in the region. It is made from the wine that is leftover after the casks used for the single-vineyard Barolos have been filled up, along with fruit from vines between 15-25 years in all four of the estate's vineyards. On my most recent visit I was also ableto taste two of the estate's 2001 Barolos that had not been bottled at the time of my last visit along with two 1998 Barolos. The estate has decided not to bottle its 2002 Barolos.

Like a number of Barolo traditionalists, the Brovias prize the '99 vintage for its character and structure. The family's Barolos spend 20 to 25 days on their skins in cement tanks, with daily pumpovers used to control temperature. They are then aged in a variety of French and Slavonian casks holding around 30 hectoliters. No press wine is used in the final blends. These Barolos have fared well in my comparative tastings in recent years, and on my recent visit to the property I came away with the feeling that they're better today than ever before. Giacinto Brovia is benefitting from the increasing involvement of daughters Elena and Cristina.