Albino Rocca Cortese 2020

Overlook Roccas whites at your peril! As far as we know, this unique wine is the only Cortese grown within the boundaries of Barbaresco, so perhaps the fact that the Roccas grow it should be clue enough that we’re on to something special and unique. The one-hectare plot of 40-year-old vines is rooted in Montegrosso d’Asti (in Barbaresco, just south of Asti) on clay and limestone soils. The wine was aged in a mix of stainless steel and mature French oak (just six months in barrel).

It’s an engagingly textural white with layers of fresh orchard fruits, saline minerality and some wild herbs, all underpinned by chalky freshness and closing with a twist of grapefruit bitters and phenolic chewiness. Cortese rising! This is a very strong candidate for all manner of seafood and white meat.