Roagna’s Barolo del Comune di Barolo represents a departure from the estate’s well-known Castiglione Falletto identity into the commune of Barolo itself, a step that reflects Luca Roagna’s ongoing expansion of his estate’s footprint across the Langhe’s finest Nebbiolo-growing communes. Barolo is one of eleven communes within the Barolo DOCG, and the wines from the commune that shares the appellation’s name occupy a specific stylistic register: the Tortonian Helvetian marl and limestone soils of the central commune tend to produce Barolo of greater aromatic generosity and slightly rounder tannin structure than the fierce, iron-edged character of Serralunga or the floral delicacy of La Morra, combining the depth of the finest Barolo crus with an accessibility in youth that makes them compelling entry points to the appellation’s full potential. Roagna’s approach, consistent with the estate’s traditional philosophy, will involve extended maceration and ageing in large Slavonian oak casks without recourse to barriques or early release.

The 2019 Piedmont vintage was warm and generous, producing Barolos of exceptional aromatic richness and early accessibility alongside the structural depth of the finest terroir-specific sites. For a Barolo del Comune from Roagna, a domaine more accustomed to the very long-ageing, structurally imposing expression of its Castiglione Falletto vineyards, the 2019 vintage’s warmth and generosity may produce a wine of unusual approachability compared to the estate’s typical output, while retaining the mineral character and low-intervention purity that distinguishes every Roagna wine across all appellations.

The Barolo del Comune di Barolo is Roagna’s most accessible and volume-appropriate expression of the estate’s Barolo ambitions, and it provides collectors who find the Vecchie Viti series financially or logistically beyond reach with a genuine alternative that carries the estate’s philosophy and winemaking rigour into a less expensive and more approachable format. For those new to Roagna, this is an ideal starting point; for those who know the estate well, it provides a useful counterpoint to the more austere and structured old-vine expressions.

Ruby with a generous and aromatic nose of red cherry, dried rose petal, dried herb, iron, leather and a fine mineral thread from the limestone and Tortonian marl of the Barolo commune. Full-bodied with firm but increasingly supple tannins, excellent natural acidity and a long, mineral, tar-inflected finish. Best from 2027 through 2045.