2020 De Forville Nebbiolo D'Alba

De Forville’s “San Rocco” isn’t a typical Nebbiolo d’Alba—it’s the estate’s insider flex. The fruit comes from San Rocco d’Elvio, a hilltop hamlet literally between Barbaresco and Barolo, which gives darker fruit, firmer tannin, and a more serious frame than their Langhe bottlings. Think of it as the house’s “Barolo” in all but name, shaped by longer macerations and a later release to emphasize structure and depth.

Viticulture and vinification lean traditional and transparent: hand harvests, indigenous-yeast fermentations in stainless, then aging in large, neutral Slavonian botti—an approach De Forville uses across its reds to amplify site over makeup. For San Rocco specifically, the élevage and fermentation are extended versus Langhe Nebbiolo, building detail without gloss. Farming is practicing organic with low-intervention treatments, reinforcing the clean, mineral line you feel through the finish.

The 2020 vintage in Piedmont delivered healthy, beautifully balanced Nebbiolo: warm but not scorching, cool nights preserving acidity, and clean fruit at harvest—wines that show generosity, polish, and immediate charm without sacrificing backbone. Expect fine tannins, vivid aromatics, and a poised mid-palate—an especially friendly year for Nebbiolo outside the DOCG tier.

Why buy it now? Scarcity and pedigree. Only ~3,000 bottles typically reach the U.S., and this cuvée’s reputation among Rosenthal devotees as “De Forville’s Barolo” makes it a perennial stealth collectable—priced below DOCG heavyweights, styled for the table, and serious enough for the cellar.