2015 Barbaresco Rabajà 

This is a mixed set of new releases from Bruno Rocca. The 2016s are decidedly light in structure, even within the more refined style Francesco Rocca has pursued over the last few vintages. My impression is that yields may have been too high and/or the fruit ws not picked at the optimal moment. There is just no getting around the fact that the wines are lighter than normal. The bottled 2015s showed more or less as they always have. I also tasted the 2014 Riservas from bottle. There, I get the sense the wines don't necessarily benefit from long aging in cask. It will be interesting to see where these wines go in the coming years. Francesco Rocca is one of the most talented young winemakers in Piedmont, but the estate is also very clearly going through a period of transition during which there are bound to be some bumps along the way.

I tasted a large number of wines during my most recent visit with Bruno and Francesco Rocca. Now with a year of bottle age, the 2014s are every bit as gorgeous as they were last year. The 2015s are generally more open-knit, softer wines that should be ready to go with minimal cellaring. Bruno Rocca fans will notice that the Coparossa has been replaced by the Barbaresco Currà with the 2015 vintage. Over the last few years, Francesco Rocca has moved up picking dates, increased his use of casks and generally move his family domaine towards a much more classic style than that favored by his father. Readers who have not tasted these wines in a few years owe it to themselves to do so. Bruno Rocca is without question one of the hottest estates in Barbaresco right now. And my feeling is that Francesco Rocca is just getting started.