La Ca'Nova 2020s - High Class Barbaresco

La Ca’ Nova is, in my view, the single most under-the-radar winery in all of Piedmont. The wines just keep getting better and better, yet prices remain exceedingly modest…I can’t recommend these wines highly enough.
– Antonio Galloni / vinous.com

Our enthusiasm for Marco Rocca’s wines will be well known to those who follow Vinum’s Piemonte offers.  Thanks to high scores and commentary such as the above from Antonio Galloni they may not be quite the insiders’ secret they once were, but La Ca’Nova remains as close to a screaming bargain as one is likely to find within the context of serious fine wine.  With plots in some of Barbaresco’s most prestigious vineyards, few of Marco’s peers hit such heights with their wines yet offer them at such accessible prices.

Barolo and Barbaresco are currently enjoying a run of outstanding vintages.  The quality of 2019/20/21 is really quite something and collectors are going to enjoy comparing, contrasting and arguing over this trio for many years. 

Already the debate has begun, with Galloni reporting that, ’The 2020s I have tasted so far point to a potentially better vintage than 2019.’  Kerin O’Keefe (kerinokeefe.com)  takes a different view and places the riper and more generous 2020s in contrast to the more structured, long term 2019s: ‘the 2020s are more concentrated, fruitier and don’t promise the same longevity as the outstanding 2019s…Yet unlike other hot vintages, like 2017 or 2015, the newest releases are fresher and better balanced.’

I’ve not yet been able to taste La Ca’Nova 2020s and look forward to remedying that later in the year.  However, I will be buying some to make up my own mind vis-a-vis my 2019s and – given the estate’s track record and the value they offer – I would encourage all serious Piemonte fans to do likewise.

The Offer:
Offered subject to final confirmation. Available in 2-3 weeks in our Singapore cellars.

Barbaresco 2020 La Ca’Nova

30 cases (1×6) OC available @ $300 per case (inc GST $324)

The 2020 Barbaresco is a relatively soft, open-knit wine. Sweet macerated cherry, kirsch, mint and orange peel open first, with effusive floral and spice notes that grace the finish. Medium in body, with relatively soft contours for a young Barbaresco, the 2020 will drink well right out of the gate.

91/100 – Antonio Galloni

Barbaresco Montefico Bric Mentina 2020 La Ca’Nova

20 cases (1×6) OC available @ $360 per case (inc GST $388.80)

The 2020 Barbaresco Montefico Vigna Bric Mentina is a very pretty wine that captures all the magic of this great site, but without all of the explosive tension of the very best years. I doubt that will matter much to most consumers, though. A beguiling mix of macerated cherry, rose petal, dried leaves and spice builds into vibrant, salivating finish. In 2020, the Montefico is perhaps just a touch slender, but it makes up for that with its superb energy.

94/100 – Antonio Galloni

Aromas of blue flower, prune, leather and tobacco come to the forefront. The aromas follow over to the full-bodied palate, along with cherry compote, fruit cake and baking spice before closing on a note of bitter almond. Velvety tannins provide enveloping support.

93/100 – Kerin O’Keefe

Barbaresco Montestefano 2020 La Ca’Nova

20 cases (1×6) OC available @ $360 per case (inc GST $388.80)

The 2020 Barbaresco Montestefano is a dense, plush wine, in other words classic Montestefano. Like all the Barbarescos here, the Montestefano is relatively open, which will surely please readers who can’t or don’t want to cellar their wines. Dark Nebbiolo fruit intermingled with spice, leather, incense and licorice build into the creamy, resonant finish. The 2020 is a gorgeous wine; the only real problem is that it is not quite the 2019!

95/100 – Antonio Galloni

The impressive 2020 Montestefano from La Ca’ Nova opens with heady scents of iris, violet, wild berry and new leather. Full-bodied and utterly delicious, the enveloping, structured palate doles out ripe black cherry, crushed raspberry, baking spice and licorice alongside firm, seasoned tannins. 

96/100 – Kerin O’Keefe