Roagna is one of the most revered and uncompromising producers in the Langhe, the Piedmontese hills whose Nebbiolo vineyards in Barolo and Barbaresco have made the family estate internationally celebrated among collectors of fine Italian wine. The domaine, based in Castiglione Falletto and run by Luca Roagna, is characterised by an absolute commitment to traditional winemaking: extended maceration periods, ageing in large Slavonian oak casks without recourse to small barriques, and release schedules that prioritise readiness over commercial expediency. In this context, the Solea white wine represents a distinctive departure from the estate’s Nebbiolo-centred identity, produced from white grapes farmed with the same philosophical rigour that governs the red wine programme.

The Solea is produced from white varieties grown in the Langhe, an unusual and intriguing expression from a producer who has built his reputation almost exclusively on red wines. The specific blend and vineyard source for the Solea reflects Roagna’s interest in exploring the full potential of the Langhe’s diverse indigenous varieties beyond Nebbiolo, and the wine is vinified with the same long ageing and minimal-intervention approach applied to the cellar’s Barolos and Barbarescos. The 2022 vintage in Piedmont was warm and concentrated, with the white wines in particular showing good ripeness balanced by the altitude and continental climate of the Langhe hills.

For collectors who have followed Roagna’s work in Barolo and Barbaresco, the Solea offers a rare opportunity to experience the estate’s philosophy applied to a white wine context. The wine has attracted attention from specialist importers and critics who follow artisan Italian production with serious attention, and its tiny production makes it one of the more difficult-to-locate wines in the Roagna range. As an estate white wine from one of Piedmont’s most philosophically serious producers, it occupies a genuinely unique position in the current Italian fine wine landscape.

Pale gold with an aromatic nose of white peach, almond, honeysuckle, herbs and a mineral thread from the Langhe limestone soils. Medium-bodied on the palate with good texture, natural acidity and a long, mineral finish that reflects the estate’s characteristically restrained and food-friendly winemaking style. Drink from 2024 through 2030.