Roagna - Barbaresco Asili Vecchie Viti 2018 (750ml)
Vinous: 95 Points
The 2018 Barbaresco Asili Vecchie Viti is often one of my favorites in the range as it is again this year. Silky tannins sweet perfumed aromatics succulent cherty fruity and cedar are some of the aromas and flavors that grace this wonderfully expressive caressing Barbaresco. Luca Roagna nailed the balance here. The 2018 is ethereal but also not light. If anything it has plenty to say. This should be terrific with a bit of time in bottle. - By Antonio Galloni on September 2023 This is a stellar set of wines from Luca Roagna. The 2018 Barbarescos and Barolos are especially fine. Roagna waited it out choosing to harvest as late as possible in order to ripen the tannins. As a result a number of the wines have distinctly exotic profiles. I tasted the entire range twice and found the wines consistently brilliant. These are wines that benefit considerably from cellaring something I have learned over the two decades-plus I have been buying and drinking them. As has been the case for some time Roagna has reduced the time in wood for the Barolos and Barbarescos preferring more neutral vessels for the final portion of aging. As always low-intervention viticulture and super-traditional methods with ambient fermentations and long time on the skins are cornerstones of the approach here.
vWine Spectator: 95 Points
Showing succulent cherry raspberry rose hip eucalyptus green tea and white pepper aromas and flavors this expressive red is bursting with energy while moderate tannins shore up the terrific saline aftertaste. Offers fine balance. Best from 2025 through 2045. 97 cases made.
