91 pts Vinous
Drinking Window 2025 - 2030
The 2023 Langhe Nebbiolo Fralù is a serious, polished wine. Crushed flowers, red/purplish berry fruit and spice open first. Medium in body and persistent, with excellent supporting structure, the Fralù is gorgeous. The 2023 spent six months in used French oak barrels. - By Antonio Galloni on October 2025

Tom's Tasting Note: A ruby red core, lighter edges. The explosive nose is perfumed and sublime, with very attractive notes of cherry, currants, raspberry, tar, mixed subtle spices, and hints of rose petals.  The wine has a med/med+ body, acidity and tannins.  The palate is fresh, electric and so persistent, also perfumed on the palate through the long, very attractive finish.  This one really makes you take notice of the value! Outstanding, like a baby Barbaresco!

Antonio Galloni on October 2025: I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted at Bruno Rocca this year. Brother and sister Francesco and Luisa Rocca are doing a tremendous job of continuing the work that their father began here in the late 1970s, while also charting what looks like an extremely bright future. The 2022 Barbarescos are just as impressive as they were last year, if not more so. There will be no Riservas or Maria Adelaide, as the best lots were used for the core wines, all Barbarescos that are deeply expressive of site. The tannins are a bit edgy in the young 2022s, but time should help, as another year in bottle has already helped these wines since I first tasted them in September 2024. I find the 2023s just a touch more refined, especially in the tannins, suggesting better overall physiological ripeness in the skins and seeds. One of the recent evolutions here has been a shortening of time in cask by a few months, which I think benefits the wines.

“Two thousand twenty-two was not as hot as 2017, but it was exceptionally dry everywhere. All of our vines experienced heat stress,” Francesco Rocca explained. “In 2023, on the other hand, some vines suffered quite a bit, but others did better, especially those with deeper root systems and sites that are not as directly exposed to the sun. Canopies were healthier at harvest than they were in 2022. I have never seen growers make so many different choices in the vineyard as I saw in 2023.” Rocca gave the 2023 Barbarescos 40-45 days on the skins with submerged cap maceration, as opposed to 25-26 days for the 2022s. The wines were aged in 16HL casks.

Soil: Clay, limestone, tuff with Sant’ Agata marl
Altitude: 250-300m
Age of Vines: 10+ years old
Fermentation: In stainless steel for 12-15 days
Aging: 8-12 months in French oak barrique and 12 months in bottle