Tasting Notes: The 2019 Barolo Pira Vecchie Viti is a powerful, yet dazzling, wine, currently austere and very closed, demanding patience to reveal its full potential. The bouquet, while initially reluctant, hints at a complex array of wild strawberry, red cherry, blood orange, dried roses, cardamom, white pepper, pine, menthol, licorice, and a distinct iron-like minerality. On the palate, it is fluid and luminous, with vibrant acidity and firm, exceptionally fine-grained tannins that provide a serious, structured backbone to the succulent red fruit, cinnamon, and ginger flavors. This is an incredibly deep and complex Barolo built for the long haul, culminating in a long, "kaleidoscopic" finish.
Estate History: The Roagna family has been producing wine in Piedmont for centuries, with the official establishment dating back to the late 1880s in the Barbaresco commune. The estate is currently managed by the fifth generation, Luca Roagna, who works alongside his father Alfredo. Adhering to a deeply traditional philosophy, the family relies on organic viticulture (avoiding pesticides, herbicides, and artificial fertilizers), massal selection to preserve genetic diversity, and long maceration times (60-90 days with a submerged cap) in large neutral oak casks. The family acquired the historic, monopole Pira cru in Castiglione Falletto, a top site in Barolo, in 1989, and produces the prestigious Vecchie Viti selection from the oldest vines, some planted in 1937, which are among the last to be harvested in October.
