Roagna Solea

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Roagna’s 2006 Solea, an unusual blend of Chardonnay and Nebbiolo, is a pretty, suave white laced with peaches, apricots and flowers, all of which come together nicely in a textured, inviting style. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2014. Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334-8191

The 2005 Solea is mostly Chardonnay with a small amount of Nebbiolo. This unique, textured white flows with the essence of apricots, peaches, flowers and light honey in a round, supple style meant to be paired with richly flavored dishes or enjoyed on its own. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012. Roagna is one of the most fascinating properties in Piedmont. The family owns small, but choice, plots in some of the region's best vineyards. The estate makes a wide range of wines, but the Barbarescos and Barolos are the highlights. In top vintages there can be as many as three selections of Barbaresco (Barbaresco Paje, Barbaresco Riserva Paje and Barbaresco Crichet Paje) and two of Barolo (Barolo La Rocca e La Pira, Barolo Riserva La Rocca e La Pira). The wines are fermented in oak vats and remain on the skins until mid-December, after which they are aged in oak barrels for as many as a dozen years prior to being bottled. This year Roagna has three new wines; a Barbera made from vines in the La Rocca e La Pira vineyard in Castiglione Falletto, and small-production Barbarescos from the Asili and Montefico vineyards. Among the many highlights are the 2003 Barolo La Rocca e La Pira and Barbaresco Paje, which are both exceptional (there were no Riservas made that year), the 2004 Barbera d-Alba, the 2004 Barbaresco Asili, the 1995 Barolo Riserva La Rocca e La Pira and the 2000 Barbaresco Crichet Paje. As readers can deduce, the wines are usually released later than most and can be hard to find, but they are increasingly worth the effort. Quality has never been higher here, and as I have written before, Luca Roagna is one of Piedmont's most promising young producers.Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334-8191

The 2003 Solea is a unique white made from late-harvested 75% Chardonnay ad 25% Nebbiolo that saw about a week of contact on the skins followed by five years in oak. This full-bodied white is loaded with super-ripe tropical fruit and suggestions of botrytis. The wine offers excellent length and beguiling aromatics (from the Nebbiolo) in a unique, quirky style. I would be tempted to drink this after dinner with cheese, as the wine cleanses the palate beautifully. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2013. This is a fascinating set of wines from Roagna, a historic estate in Barbaresco that is once again gaining the visibility and recognition it deserves. Proprietor Luca Roagna is young, humble and incredibly passionate about preserving his family’s traditional approach to making wine. The estate works with old vines, which are trained to ripen late. In the cellar, macerations are very long and aging takes place primarily in French oak casks. Roagna is one of Italy’s most promising young producers and his future looks to be very bright. This year, as last, I found some of the wines not fully perfect in their aromatics, with notes of woodiness that suggest the wines may be spending too much time in barrel. According to Luca Roagna, these aromas and flavors can be attributed to the new barrels the estate began using around 2000. Still, my sense is that the wines could achieve an entirely different level of quality if a few years of the barrel aging were replaced with time in bottle.Importer: Louis Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334-8191