2016 Roagna Barbera d'Alba

Community Tasting Notes (6) Avg Score: 91.2 points

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  12/24/2023 - Lydiksen74 wrote: 92 Points

  Had this on Christmas evening. Such a lovely glass and it was good to see haw well made a bottle from Alba can be.
  It was for sure the crowd pleasing bottle and even my father in law, who normally only sips the Spanish rioja, kept coming back to this one.
  Have 1 more bottle - will save for a special night for sure.

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  9/5/2023 - Macdog Likes this wine:

  This comes with a Roagna price tag. Good but not great, but I think that is probably barbera. At the top end of barbera that I’ve had. I enjoyed it and would buy it again but let’s not kid - it’s not good value in the barbera market. Crowd pleasing as barbera can be. Some Roagna hallmarks in the balance and presentation - the wine making skill is evident. Perhaps a little odd in the N but that blew off. Soft tannins red and blue fruit. Likeable but not long. Lacks some energy and interest. Went nicely with truffle ravioli. Elio grasso’s barbera is comparable for quality. I expected a bit more given I’d had the Roagna dolcetto recently and was amazed what they had done with that grape. I didn’t decant but did pour into glasses and allow to breathe. Didn’t see noticeable improvement across the few hours that we drank it. I don’t know my narendra vintages so no idea if this is a major or minor year.

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  5/3/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine: 91 Points

  I opened this and was surprised by a somewhat meh initial impression. It took no more than 10 minutes of air to completely blow open the doors of perception. This is a terrific barbera that perfectly straddles the line between sheer drinkability (at 13.5%) and serious contemplation. Better yet, it gets more complex by the minute and rivals a lot of more exalted Piedmont appellations (yeah, I mean you nebbiolo) in the process.
  
  Translucent ruby robe. Within a half hour and with a bit of swirling it's positively "intoxicating" on the nose. Sour cherry, deep raspberry bordering on liqueur that casts a haunting net of sweetness, hints of graphite minerality, a bit of baking spice. Spreads beautifully across the palate, more velvet than is usual in often spikily acid barbera, not that it lacks in that department, with softly concluding tannins.
  
  There's a sense of completeness and harmony that is simply not common in barbera and leaves me with an internal struggle over whether to belt it down with tonight's homemade perciatelli in simple marinara sauce (have you tried the incredible Phillips pasta maker?) or lay about like an opium eater and savor it. Either way you can't lose.
  
  Don't read the following unless you truly have nothing better to do. Those long-time followers of my tasting notes (all 3 of them) know that I often pepper them with cultural references, ranging from Romantic poetry to execrable puns. I've got one so bad and so obscure it's even making me squirm. "Putney says the barbera '16 grape has got to have soul." And this one does. Ok, you were warned.

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  12/27/2022 - Ölprinz Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Klasse, was sich aus der Rebsorte rausholen lässt. In der Nase Kirsche, rote Beeren, Pilze, Veilchen, ein wenig Eisen, ein wenig Blut, etwas Holzkohle und dezente Röstaromen. Elegant und wild. Am Gaumen grazile Fruchtaromen, Waldboden, samtig, rauchig, fleischig. Dicht, kraftvoll, ordentlich Mundfülle und gleichzeitig sehr fein, frisch und spielerisch tänzelnd. Last but not least ein erfeulich langer Nachhall, der zum eintauchen einlädt. Jesses! Aber: nach drei Stunden begann der Wein etwas zu schwächeln. Menno!

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  12/10/2022 - vagrantone Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Excellent Roagna Barbera,
  Deep hue showing little ecolution.
  It doesn't has the excessive combination of acidity and tannins that often plague Barbera wines.
  Nice rich texture, excellent length and a clean finish. Almost entirely on the dark fruit side

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