La ca'nova barbaresco "montestefano" 2022

Traditional Barbaresco from one of the appellation's quiet masters — the powerful Montestefano cru, scored 94 by two critics.

Pietro Rocca began bottling under the La Ca' Nova name in the 1970s, and four generations on the family still works the old way: native-yeast fermentation with the cap held under by wooden planks, then aging in large neutral oak that never smothers Nebbiolo's perfume. Montestefano is one of Barbaresco's most celebrated crus — it produced the region's first-ever single-vineyard bottling in 1961 — and it's the powerful, structured heart of the range.

Antonio Galloni consistently scores this under-the-radar estate in the mid-to-high 90s, yet the prices barely move. Vinous and Kerin O'Keefe both gave the 2022 a 94 → famous-name Barbaresco crus cost multiples of this → at $60.99 you're buying grand-cru-level Nebbiolo from a traditionalist's cellar.

• 100% Nebbiolo from the Montestefano cru
• Native-yeast fermentation, submerged cap, large neutral oak
• Rocca family, four generations of traditional Barbaresco
• One of the appellation's most historic single vineyards

"Macerated cherry, cinnamon, new leather and mocha… terrific mid-palate density and overall fleshiness." — Antonio Galloni, Vinous. Translation: deep, brooding Barbaresco with dense tannins that need a few years but promise decades — decant it if you open one young.

Traditional, grand-cru Nebbiolo from a master who flies under the radar, at a price the famous names can't touch. Non-optional for anyone serious about Piemonte.