Cascina Roccalini Barbaresco 2015

Fabrizio had just started with a new Italian distributor, Caves des Pyrene run by Christian Bucci. Fabrizio and I drove to Barbaresco one December evening in 2010 for a blind Barbera tasting Christian put together. Paolo was seated next to Fabrizio, and they struck up a conversation immediately. Turns out Paolo’s Barbera was one of our favorites in the line up (along with Rossore of course), and by the end of the dinner following the tasting it felt as if we had been friends for years. Paolo told us his fascinating story, not only about the history of his estate and vineyards, but that he was weeks away from loosing everything on his venture to make his own wine with the 2005 vintage, when Christian Bucci ‘found him,’ fell in love with his wine, and signed him up immediately, essentially saving Paolo’s dream in the 11th hour. Unfortunately Paolo had just signed up months earlier with another American importer, because Indie happened to be in the market for a Barbaresco – and we were smitten not only with Paolo, but his wine as well. It took us about a year, but we managed to finagle Paolo out of his previous contract, and we released his 2008 vintage in the US in the fall of 2011. Paolo to this day remains ‘one of the family,’ and his passion, dedication and huge heart show in every vintage, every bottle and ever sip of his wines.