Date of visit: September 23, 2021
A bit about the winery:
Brovia has been family run for 4 generations since 1863 when Giacinto Brovia founded this magnificent estate. Today the estate is run by Giacinto’s great-granddaughter Elena, who’s in charge of the vineyards and administration, and her husband Alex Sanchez, who’s in charge of winemaking and sales. Over the years the Brovia’s have acquired some of the finest vineyard sites in all of Langhe; Rocche, Villero and Garblèt Sue’ (or Altenasso) in Castiglione Falletto where the winery is located, and Brea (Ca’Mia) in Serralunga d’Alba. The estate is certified organic, and they perform soil analysis every 2 years to ensure that all elements are in equilibrium. Harvest is done entirely by hand and usually begins in late September, starting with Dolcetto, Arneis and Barbera. Nebbiolo is then generally harvested in mid-October. In the cellars, things are kept very simple, and wines are vinified in a classic style, so that the grapes and terroir can express themselves in their purest forms. Brovia, has continued to leave the most well-respected wine critics stunned, and when you taste their wine it’s easy to see why.
Our first experience with Brovia:
Approximately 6 months ago we tasted a bottle of 1978 Brovia Barbera d’Alba which left us speechless. After tasting this outstanding expression of Barbera, we emailed Brovia to learn more about this magnificent wine. Shortly after emailing, Alex Sanchez himself, responded. He was genuinely delighted to hear how much we loved the wine, and tried to provide us with as much information as possible, which he admitted was quite limited. This was due to the fact that the wine is over 40 years old, he did not make the wine (his father in law, Giacinto Brovia, was the winemaker at the time), and during that time much of their Barbera fruit was purchased. This makes tracking down specifics like harvest dates, fermentation times, winemaking techniques, and other information that you’d typically find on a technical specification sheet, quite challenging or even impossible. Nevertheless, Alex was able to provide us with a great deal of incredibly detailed information on their current lineup of wines, and the amazing history of the Brovia winery itself. We exchanged over a dozen emails, and eventually ended up scheduling a visit with Alex for our September trip to Langhe.
Our visit:
We arrived at Brovia’s Castiglione Falletto estate, September 23rd, grinning from ear to ear. We’d already been in Langhe for exactly one week, and had driven past Brovia’s estate more than half a dozen times while visiting other wineries, restaurants, or one of the Langhe’s many beautiful castles, so there was a great deal of anticipation leading up to this moment. In addition to this, we’d been in contact with Alex Sanchez for almost 6 months, and it was exciting to finally be able to meet him in person. When we arrived we were greeted by Cristina who shared with us the amazing history of the winery. We spoke about the delicious cuisine of Langhe, our favorite restaurants, places to visit, and how we came to connect with Alex over email. Shortly after this, Alex joined us, he had just returned from harvesting Freisa. We sat down and spoke for some time about our jobs back in New York, how we became interested in wine, and our hobby of writing about wine, and Alex shared with us how he came to join the Brovia winery. Alex then led us outside across the courtyard to the vinification room, where he showed us the stainless steel and cement fermentation tanks, as well as the 100HL Slavonian oak botti. He explained fermentation times for the different wines, the different vessels they’re aged in, pump over intervals etc. all of which was extremely informative and interesting. We then walked to the opposite end of the courtyard and approached a door, as soon as Alex opened it the heavenly scent of Nebbiolo gracefully resting in large barrels came pouring out through the entryway. This room was home to several large barrels filled with Barolo currently resting, including the legendary Barolo Ca’Mia. We then walked next door and began our tasting.
Alex apologized repeatedly that today we can only taste two wines, due to the fact that it’s an extraordinarily busy time of year because of harvest, and given their tiny production. We explained to Alex that this was no reason to apologize, we were beyond delighted just to be there speaking with him and touring the magnificent estate, tasting the wines was just a bonus. Alex suggested that we begin with either Dolcetto d’Alba Vignavillej or Barbera d’Alba Sori del Drago, and then we move on to a Barolo. He told us that we can choose whether we’d like to begin with Dolcetto or Barbera, and told us that we can choose any Barolo that we’d like to taste. We decided to begin with Dolcetto, and for the Barolo we inquired if it would be possible to try Barolo Ca’Mia which we’d previously never tasted, but had heard so much about. We prefaced this by stating we fully understand how limited the production of Barolo Ca’Mia is, and we completely understand if it’s not possible to taste, we’d be delighted to try any of the Barolos. Alex smiled and agreed that Barolo Ca’Mia is an excellent choice.
Below are our tasting notes for 2020 Dolcetto d’Alba Vignavillej and 2017 Barolo Ca’Mia. Both wines were tasted immediately after opening, and were extraordinary.
Our tasting notes:
2020 Dolcetto d’Alba Vignavillej: Grapes are grown in the Brea vineyard in Serralunga d’Alba 80/90% and Garblèt Sué in Castiglione Falletto 10/20%, and are hand harvested during the second half of September. Aromas of cherries, raspberries, and strawberries, accompanied by aromas of forest and earth. Unbelievably silky smooth mouthfeel with very fine, smooth, beautifully integrated tannins. Fruity, juicy, and easy drinking but still quite structured and serious. Excellent balance. One of our personal favorite Dolcetto’s from the 2020 vintage.
2017 Barolo Ca’Mia: Vines were planted in 1955 and are located in the Brea vineyard in Serralunga d’Alba. Brovia has a monopoly of this vineyard, making them the sole owners and producers of any wine to be produced from this magnificent site. Grapes are hand harvested, generally in the middle of October, fermented in cement, and the wine is aged in large French and Slavonian oak barrels of 30/40HL in size for 24-30 months. Appearance is rich ruby red. Highly expressive elegant nose, filled predominantly with beautiful aromas of roses, some cherry skins, wet stone, almonds, and a touch of tar. The palette is vibrant with well defined delicious flavors of cherries and cranberries. The finish is incredibly persistent. Great structure, and incredibly approachable. Tannins are very much present, but are integrated ever so perfectly. A serious wine that can absolutely age beautifully for another 10+ years, but is tough to resist in its youth when it’s drinking this phenomenal.
Thank you
Thank you, Cristina, Alex, and everyone who made our visit to Brovia possible. We absolutely loved touring the estate and speaking with you at length about the history of Brovia and your extraordinary wines. The wines you’re producing are truly incredible. We look forward to visiting you again in the near future. Grazie mille!
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