La Ca Nova 2023

La Ca’ Nova is one of those producers that still feels like you’re getting in before everyone else catches on.

We offered the 2021 Barbaresco a couple years ago and I went pretty hard on it. I loved the wine, pushed the importer for as much as he would give us, and told everyone who would listen that it belonged in the cellar. Nothing that’s happened since has changed my mind about this estate.

The 2023s just arrived, and this time we were able to get all three wines—the Barbaresco along with Montefico “Vigna Bric Mentina” and Montestefano.

What I like about La Ca’ Nova is pretty simple. These are traditional Barbarescos that still feel like they’re priced for people who actually want to drink them. The Rocca family has been farming in Barbaresco for generations, and there isn’t much window dressing here. Long macerations, large casks and Nebbiolo from some very good vineyards in the heart of Barbaresco. The wines have the perfume and structure you want, but they never feel overworked.

I’ve been super impressed with the 2023’s! There’s a little less muscle and more finesse this year—perfume, freshness and transparency rather than sheer power. They already have that aromatic pull that makes Nebbiolo so hard to leave alone, while still having the structure underneath to reward some time in the cellar.

I liked these enough that I wanted to offer the entire lineup rather than pick one and leave it at that. The straight Barbaresco is where I’d start, but having Montefico and Montestefano alongside it makes this a pretty great little snapshot of La Ca’ Nova in 2023.

If you bought the 2021 from us, you already know why I keep coming back to this estate. If you missed it, here’s another shot.