This unoaked Dolcetto bursts with youthful charm. It's vibrant ruby-violet in the glass, offering fragrant notes of wild cherry, blueberry, and soft floral lift. The palate is plump yet fresh, with supple, chalky tannins, lively acidity, and a classic, gently bitter finish that keeps everything crisp and moreish.

Albino Rocca is one of those estates every somm name-drops with a grin - four generations of family winemaking in Barbaresco, and not a hint of ego about it. What Albino started in the ’60s, and Angelo elevated with real vision, is now in the hands of his daughters Paola, Monica, and Daniela, working side by side with Carlo, Angelo’s longtime right hand. Together they’ve taken the estate’s reputation and sharpened it even further. Their vineyards sit in some of Barbaresco’s most sought-after crus - Ronchi, Cottà, Ovello, Montersino - and everything is farmed with quiet respect for the land under the Green Experience sustainability programme. In the cellar, it’s all about clarity and purity: large old oak use, letting Nebbiolo and its neighbours speak for themselves. The style? Perfumed, precise, elegant - and seriously some of the best value in the region. What sets Albino Rocca apart is how naturally they balance heritage with evolution. They’ve moved past the richer, oakier style of the ’90s and leaned into something far more confident: wines that feel alive, expressive, and deeply tied to their sites. Nebbiolo is the star, of course, but their Barbera, Dolcetto, Cortese, Chardonnay, and Moscato all get the same thoughtful treatment. Everything starts with meticulous vineyard work - observation, timing, and a deep understanding of each plot - and continues in a cellar where technique supports, rather than overshadows, what the vines deliver. The result is a lineup of wines that are unmistakably Barbaresco yet wonderfully approachable, the kind you open and immediately think, “Ah, this is why people fall in love with Piedmont.”