Size & Type
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$105
Brovia’s 2013 is a rich, dense wine with a fair bit of structure to match. Dark fruited it sits in the fuller camp of Barolo styles. Lovely spice, it’s loads of fun. Layers of flavour are matched by layers of tannins. Heading more down the line of Cascina Pugnane’s ‘Pugnane’ than their lythe ‘Bussia’.
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The base of this cuvee is sourced from the lower part of the “Brea” vineyard (roughly 60%) with the remaining portion coming from younger vines in “Garblet Sue,” “Villero,” and “Rocche.” Aged in large 70-hectoliter Slavonian oak, this wine is always the most approachable of their bottlings. That said, those of you who enjoyed the open and delicious 2011 and 2012 versions might be surprised by the seriousness of this exceptional vintage. The fruit is silky, pure and compact, with a fresh, high-toned character. Quite structured, this wine shows a bit more tension and architecture than it normally does — it will be interesting to watch this wine develop over the next few years.
Alex Sanchez describes the 2013 growing season as long with moderate temperatures. After a rainy spring, they had a very nice summer. Temperatures never reached dangerous levels, and the consistent weather persisted through September and October. The harvest began quite late, towards mid-October, and lasted until the end of the month. Fermentations were slow and steady, taking about four weeks at relatively low temperatures. Alex boldly states that he prefers the 2013 vintage to their excellent 2010s, sensing that it has superior concentration and structure and should age gracefully for an even longer period. Unsurprisingly, he notes that the 2013s are tight and wound-up at this early stage in their evolution, suggesting they need at least five to six years before they become accessible.
In 1863 Giacinto Brovia founded the Brovia estate in the village of Castiglione Falletto, in the heart of the Barolo district. The family has been continually engaged in the growing of grapes and the production of wine since that time. The phylloxera plague, economic upheaval and two wars interrupted production for almost 30 years but, in 1953, two brothers, Giacinto and Raffaele, grandchildren of the founder, resumed full-scale wine production. Giacinto, a trained enologist, was (and still is) responsible for the production of the wine while Raffaele, a trained agronomist, supervised the vineyard work. Sadly, Raffaele passed away in 2011 but two of Giacinto’s daughters, Cristina and Elena, are now completely engaged as the fourth generation, in the affairs of this family-run estate. Marina, Giacinto’s wife and mother of their children, is a brilliant cook and provider of wise counsel, and Alex Sanchez, husband of Elena, has joined the family enterprise. For our part, Rosenthal Wine Merchant has worked in close collaboration with the Brovia family for several decades, having made our first purchases in the exceptional 1978 vintage.
The Brovias, from generation to generation, have been conscientious buyers of some of the finest vineyard sites in this noble zone, concentrating their efforts in their home village of Castiglione Falletto and the neighboring Serralunga d’Alba. Brovia owns land in a variety of the best “cru” of Piedmont such as Rocche, Villero and Garblét Sue, all in Castiglione Falletto, as well as Brea in Serralunga. These different vineyard plots represent a range of soil types, from heavier clay to friable limestone. The Brovias are extremely conscientious winegrowers and farm organically in every sense of that word (without being formally certified). They perform soil analyses every two years to ensure that the elements are in equilibrium; pruning is done to limit harvest levels; and grape clusters are thinned, when necessary, in the summer. Harvest is done entirely by hand and usually begins in late September with the Dolcetto, Arneis and Barbera; of course, the Nebbiolo ripens later, and harvest for the various Baroli occurs normally in mid-October.
The Brovia estate encompasses 19.2 hectares with 55% of the production dedicated to Barolo, 25% in Dolcetto, 10% to Barbera and the remaining 10% produced from Arneis, Nebbiolo d’Alba and Freisa.
The Brovia wines are vinified in the classic style. Grapes are lightly crushed before going into the fermentation tanks. The length of the fermentation period depends on the grape variety but the Nebbiolo for various Barolo cuvées can extend as long as a month or more at temperatures between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius. The Baroli are aged for at least two years in 30 hectoliter barrels of Slavonian and French oak. The wines are then bottled without filtration and released to the market after an additional 18 to 24 months of bottle-aging. The cuvées of Dolcetto and Barbera are handled differently, with the Dolcetto being aged exclusively in stainless steel tanks and the Barbera in stainless with a portion of the Serralunga-based wine in smaller barrels (more detail is provided below)., with a portion going into French oak barrels for 9 – 10 months. The wines are bottled without filtration.
Given the poise and complexity, it's hard to believe this is the firm's entry-level Barolo. It opens with alluring aromas of wild berry, forest floor, new leather, menthol and purple flower while the full-bodied palate delivers crushed raspberry, morello cherry, mint and star anise. Firm refined tannins and bright acidity give it a structured finesse as well as balance.
This is one of the best straight Barolos readers will come across...
Don’t miss it.
Where in the world does the magic happen?
Brovia, Via Alba Barolo, Garbelletto, Province of Cuneo, Italy
Pinot Noir | France, Aloxe-Corton
Nebbiolo | Piedmont, Castiglione Falletto
Red Blend | South Australia, Australia
Red Blend | South Australia, Australia
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