Piedmont 2013, Day 2 - Visit to Brovia

This was one of my favourite visits in the Barolo area. It was a blazing hot day, the first real day of full-on summer, with temperatures reaching a cloudless, windless 35 degrees celsius as we pulled into Castiglione Falleto. It was a real relief to get into the cool of the cellars for a little tour with our host Alex Sanchez (who runs the show along with his wife, Elena and sister-in-law Crsitina Brovia), and then into the homey tasting room.

The line-up was small, but the wines were excellent - about the purest, most elegant and transparent wines we tasted in our entire trip. I must have run the risk of irritating Alex by my constant references to Burgundy! But then again, of all the wines we tasted, it is with Brovia's most of all that the sometimes misapplied comparison between Burgundy and Piedmont really makes sense. Here, more than anywhere else, the Nebbiolo grape seemed to almost fade into the background, still showing its character, but working almost as a conduit for the expression of terroir.

Whether this will be the direction that Barolo and Barbaresco is moving to into the future, whether this is a new "classic" style that winemakers will eventually settle into after a long and sometimes meaningless battle between modern and traditional styles, only time will tell. At the moment, I am content to enjoy the wonderful wines here for what they are - a pure, graceful, delicious expression of varietal and land.

• 2011 Fratelli Brovia Barbera d'Alba Sorì del Drago 88 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

  A decent Barbera. Vinified without wood, this had a very fresh, bright nose, with very vinous scents and bits of black cherries some and chalky earthiness rising out with time. The palate was pleasant, if rather unremarkable - a bit of a heavyweight, with a big-fruited character, full of fresh berries and blackberry flavours moving into darker plums and some raisins on the midpalate and finish, where a slighty bittersweet drift of smoke, spice and bramble peeked out. Unlike many of the Barberas that we tasted in the trip, which were high in acid but low in tannins, this had a little dry rasp at the end. All in all, decent enough, and it is young - this should improve over the next few years in the bottle.

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• 2011 Fratelli Brovia Barbera d'Alba 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

  A barrel sample of the wine that was labelled as the "Brea" in previous vintages. This was a very good Barbera - I thought it was head and shoulders above the stainless steel vinified Sori del Drago that we tasted just before. There was a bit of walnut and almond from oak aging on the nose, but past that, you got pleasant aromas of sweet berries and sour plums touch with a bit of spice. The palate was very full in the mouth, with a smooth, velvety feel and fine freshness to its flavours of sweet dark berries and black cherries. The midpalate again took on a darker tone, it was full of spice, along with notes of cassis and raisins as the wine wound its way into a fresh finish. I found this very enjoyable - it was rounder, fuller, with much better depth than the Sori del Drago, yet also very well-integrated with sweet juicy acidity. A very good Barbera, this will make nice drinking from youth and into the medium term.

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• 2009 Fratelli Brovia Barolo Villero 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  This was really excellent. It had a wonderful nose, full of pure aromatics - red cherries, cranberries and rose, peppery spice, a touch of tar, a little base of white meat - a singular, enchanting bouquet. Eyes closed, I could almost imagine it being a Chambertin. There was a slight change of gear on the palate, but here too the wine excelled, starting with a beautiful sculpted structure, with super-fine and ever-so slightly grippy tannins and supple acidity. Beyond that though, it was all about finesse, elegance and transperancy, with the purest expression of silky red fruit, cranberries I thought, then little flecks of licorice, spice and herbs trailing away into a long, floral finish. A warm flush of spice comes in after awhile to play alongside the fruit. Youthful, bright, yet giving and complex. I love this expression of Barolo - it is as close to Burgundy as I can imagine, yet completely Nebbiolo. Great stuff in its extreme youth but this may well be a classic given 10-15 years in the bottle. 93+

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• 2009 Fratelli Brovia Barolo Ca'mia 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  The group was split between the elegant, lacy Villero and this, the more masculine, deeper expression of Barolo. I liked the former more, but even then, the Ca'mia was a really impressive wine in its own right. It started out with a very complex nose, a lot more masculine than the Villero, with light puffs of smoke and spicy cinamon and pepper notes around a core of savoury meat and darker fruit aromas of plum and blackberry. With time, bits of orange peel and some dark floral violet scents started drifting out of the glass as well. There was so much going on here. Wonderful palate as well. This was rather firm, muscular, with tightly a wound core of velveteen, almost slightly powdery tannins that coated the mouth, but boy was it ever elegant, with sweet acidity suffused through pure crunches of black fruit - think plums and blackberries - then little touches of herb, bramble and orange peel beneath, maybe a twist of chicory, all leading into a long, slightly brambly finish, with a glow of spice and a hint of wild juniper berries. A much more masculine feel than the Villero, but this was still very fine, with every bit of it touched with glowing purity. It is a bit deeper and more brooding than the the former wine though, and this too will need some 10-12 years to really hit its stride. I have a feeling it will go on improving far, far beyond that.

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