2022 Barbera d'Alba

This is a stellar set of wines from the Rocca family. The 2022s are very good wines for a year marked by severe heat and drought. Francesco Rocca gave his 2022s around 28 days on the skins, about a week less than the 2021s, with submerged cap maceration. The wines spent 16 months in cask, on the shorter side in relative terms. There will be no Riservas in 2022, another sign of a very challenging year. As good as the 2022s are, I would prefer to drink them on the earlier side. The 2021 Barbarescos are every bit as compelling as they were last year. They saw 6-7 weeks on the skins, followed by 18 months in cask. Readers will find wines of notable character. This is an exciting time for a young estate, now in its second generation.