Our Visit To Brovia, June 2022

Date of visit: June 9, 2022

Our History With Brovia

Some of the greatest wines that we’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting have been produced by Brovia, and for us, they’re one of our favorite producers anywhere in the world. Our first visit to Brovia was during our September 2021 trip to Langhe, this was a visit we’ll never forget.

For more information on this incredible producer, and to read about our September 2021 visit, click here.

For more information on this incredible producer, be sure to visit Rosenthal Wine Merchant’s website (the official importer for Brovia), by clicking here.

Our June 2022 Visit To Brovia

Brovia was the fifth producer we visited during our trip to Piemonte in June 2022, and it was one of the most anticipated visits of our trip. When we arrived, we were greeted by Francesca, who led us into the tasting room. She showed us on a map where all of Brovia’s vineyards are located, and explained the differences in terroir. Brovia owns vineyards in some of the greatest sites in all of Langhe; Rocche, Villero, and Garblét Sue in Castiglione Falletto, as well as Brea in Serralunga d’Alba. Just as Francesca was getting ready to pour the first wine, Àlex joined us, grinning from ear to ear, and warmly welcomed us back to Brovia. Although we’d only met Àlex once before, we feel as though we’ve known him for ages. Speaking with Àlex is always a pleasure, he’s one of the kindest, and most down to earth winemakers we’ve ever met.

Unlike the vast majority of Langhe winemakers, who were born and raised in the area, Àlex is originally from Barcelona. He and Elena Brovia met through mutual friends while Àlex was still living in Spain, and they fell in love. Àlex moved to Milan in 2000, they got married shortly after in 2001, and Àlex began working at the Brovia estate that same year. When Àlex first met Elena, he’d never tasted Barolo and had no experience with winemaking. Àlex’s first experience with Barolo was a bottle of 1996 Brovia Barolo Villero which Elena shared with him. Despite not growing up in Langhe or having any prior winemaking experience, Àlex had the fortune of having his father-in-law, the legendary Giacinto Brovia, as his teacher, whom he worked alongside of for many years. With that being said, it’s incredible to think that just 20 or so years ago Àlex had never tasted Barolo, had never made wine, and today, is one of the greatest Barolo producers of all time, and one of the greatest winemakers anywhere in the world. In our opinion, this monumental achievement can’t go overlooked, and is a testament to Àlex’s abilities. Àlex is truly a gifted winemaker. We can’t emphasize enough how amazing Brovia’s wines are, and what an incredible winemaker Àlex is.

The team at Brovia is led by Elena Brovia – the estate’s esteemed Enologist and Àlex’s wife, Àlex Sanchez – their extraordinarily talented winemaker, and just a few helpers. Even though the team at Brovia is small, they still manage to produce some of the most magnificent wines year after year.

As a side note, we were extremely fortunate to have had the pleasure of enjoying a bottle of 1996 Brovia Barolo Villero, at the amazing Locanda dell’Arco restaurant in Cissone. The wine is drinking incredible at the moment, and was one of the best wines we’ve ever tried. At the time we ordered the bottle, we had no idea that this was the first Barolo that Àlex had ever tried. Prior to Àlex sharing this information with us, this bottle already held a very special place in our hearts, but now we’ve gained a new level of appreciation towards it. We will dedicate a separate post in the future to this wine, and will share our detailed tasting notes on it.

Our Tasting Notes

2020 Barbera d’Alba Sori del Drago: Made entirely in stainless steel. The nose opens with beautiful fresh, floral aromas, along with cherries, raspberries, and strawberries which carry over to the palate. Bright, fresh, juicy and fruity, with soaring, vibrant acidity, and a silky smooth mouthfeel. Impeccable balance. This is a classic textbook example of Barbera d’Alba, and is a wonderful expression of the grape.

*A Note on Brovia’s Barolo* Brovia produces five different Barolo; single vineyard bottlings of Rocche, Villero, and Garblét Sue in Castiglione Falletto, Brea in Serralunga d’Alba, and one Barolo which is a blend of their different vineyard sites. All of Brovia’s Barolo are produced using identical methods, the only difference between them are the vineyard sites. This makes Brovia’s Barolo some of our favorite wines to taste because it is so incredibly interesting to see how different each Barolo can be solely because of the differences in terroir.

2018 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione: Made from grapes exclusively sourced from Brovia’s Rocche vineyard, located in Castiglione Falletto. Rocche is one of the steepest vineyard sites in the entire Barolo growing zone. It is so steep, that there are many sections of this vineyard which must be worked exclusively by hand. This vineyard is known to have excellent air circulation and very sandy soils. Aromas of forest floor, wet leaves, tar, leather, with a faint hint of mint and pine. The palate is filled with flavors of tart cherries, raspberries, baking spices and a hint of mint. Beautifully integrated, ultra fine tannins, and impeccable balance. A very pure and elegant Barolo. Excellent.

2018 Barolo Villero: Made from grapes exclusively sourced from Brovia’s Villero vineyard, located in Castiglione Falletto. Classic Nebbiolo aromas of tar and roses along with some crushed cherries and leather. Flavors of tart red cherries lead the way on the palate, along with raspberries and a hint of mint. Super fine, well integrated tannins, soaring acidity, and impeccable balance. It was fascinating to taste this wine following Barolo Rocche di Castiglione, as the two wines are so incredibly different. The Villero definitely is more masculine and structured, and the tannins are more forward. Yet, just like Rocche di Castiglione, this wine still manages to be very elegant, maintains perfect balance, is extremely approachable today, and has the capability to withstand lengthy cellaring. We love this wine today, and also look forward to seeing how it develops in years to come.

2018 Barolo Brea Vigna Ca’Mia: Made from grapes exclusively sourced from Brovia’s Brea vineyard, located in Serralunga d’Alba. This vineyard is the largest of all of the vineyard sites which Brovia owns, and is Brovia’s only vineyard site which is located outside of Castiglione Falletto. Brovia has a monopole of the Brea vineyard, meaning they are the sole owners of this 12 hectare site. Brea is considered one of the greatest sites to grow Nebbiolo in the entire Barolo growing zone. The nose is on this wine incredibly floral and is led by a plethora of roses which seemingly leap from the glass, followed by tar and leather. Flavors of tart sour cherries, raspberries and rose petals, with an extremely persistent finish. Firm, but beautifully integrated tannins, impressive structure, with bright acidity. Very fresh, pure, and precise. Just like the previous two Barolo, this wine is incredibly well balanced, extremely approachable, and is definitely capable of lengthy cellaring.

2019 Barolo Villero (from barrel): Beautiful, fresh, floral aromas led by a myriad of roses followed by crushed red berries, which give way to hints of leather, truffle, rosemary, and pine. Flavors of crushed red cherries and tart red berries. Powerful, austere, teeth coating tannins alongside soaring acidity. Structured and masculine. This Barolo tastes like it has the potential to age seemingly forever. Wow! We can’t wait to taste this again once bottled. Very classic.

2019 Barolo Brea Vigna Ca’Mia (from barrel): Earthy aromas of wet forest floor, truffles, and leather. Àlex said that this wine still needs racking, and air. Sure enough, after a few more minutes in the glass, gorgeous aromas of roses and tart red fruit began to appear in the glass. A fascinating transformation to watch! Flavors of tart red fruit and cherries, alongside teeth coating, gritty tannins, soaring acidity, and some minerality. Incredible structure. This wine has a very long life ahead of it. Àlex feels that 2019 is going to be a very special vintage for Barolo, and we absolutely agree.

2020 Barolo Villero (from barrel): Gorgeous floral aromas rise from the glass led by roses, followed by crushed tart red fruit and cherries, along with some leather and a hint of truffle. The aromas are very precise and well defined which Àlex explained usually takes more time. The palate is bright and juicy, filled with flavors of tart red fruit and a hint of herbal minty qualities alongside soaring acidity. Persistent finish. Like the 2019 the 2020 boasts an impressive structure, though at the moment the 2020 is more approachable than the 2019.

Takeaways:

The entire lineup at Brovia was absolutely incredible. Their 2018 Barolo are some of our favorite Barolo that we’ve tasted from the vintage. These wines are a beautiful representation of the vineyard sites, and it is fascinating to taste them side by side to see how different they are solely because of terroir, as each wine is handled the exact same in the cellars. These wines were all elegant and approachable, and were some of the most elegant and approachable Barolo we’ve ever tried. They are all well balanced, and although they’re extremely enjoyable now, they can still be cellared for long periods of time should you wish to. For us, these are wines to enjoy both now and later. It’s rare that we come across a wine that lends itself so well to both.

The 2019 and 2020 barrel samples are both showing beautifully. Both vintages without a doubt will be very classic, and long lived. The 2020 Barolo Villero is almost shockingly approachable, especially for a Barolo that’s still so young, and Villero generally produces wines which can be austere in its youth. The 2019 will likely require a bit more time, but will also be approachable in its youth. Both vintages are extremely promising, and we couldn’t be more excited to try them again once bottled.

Thank You

Thank you, Elena, Francesca, Àlex, and the entire team at Brovia for welcoming us back, and sharing your incredible wines with us. Your wines are truly extraordinary! We look forward to seeing you again very soon in the near future!