Albino Rocca Barbaresco Ovello Vigna Loreto 2022

Barbaresco’s Ovello Cru spans a ridge with both slopes planted to vines. Within this large Cru are several delimited parcels (historical plots, if you like). Rocca’s Vigna Loreto is one of them, a tiny plot that is effectively a monopole. Vines here are around 55 years old, and Rocca first vinified the parcel as a separate bottling in 1990. Sitting on the sunnier, south-west side of the ridge, the nearby Tanaro River provides moderating influence. This results in cooler nights than the ridge’s twin side. The clay and limestone soils are also sandier and lighter than in the rest of Ovello, giving the wines here far more finesse. On the other hand, vines from Loreto must be cropped at 10 hl/ha less than other Ovello vines if the wine is bottled under the parcel name, so this wine balances its finesse with real density.