San Rocco Seno d’Elvio (Alba)
Province of Cuneo
Established: 1993
Owners: Colla families
Winemakers: Tino & Pietro Colla
Production: 150,000 bottles
Hectares of vines: 27
Viticulture: Conventional
The Colla family have a rich history of winemaking in Piedmont, dating back to 1703. Beppe Colla steered the Prunotto winery to stardom and was one of the founding fathers of the Alba DOCs in the 1960s. Younger brother Tino joined with Beppe’s daughter Federica to establish Poderi Colla (literally, the Colla farms), made up of:
• Cascine Drago in Alba, heart of the Langhe appellation;
• Tenuta Roncaglia, eight hectares of the historic Barbaresco cru; and
• Tenuta Dardi Le Rose, seven hectares of the renowned Barolo Bussia cru in Monforte.
Federica’s words perfectly summarise the Colla philosophy: “Our wines are not ‘high-tech’. They are man-made, with a strong human element, outstanding natural concentration thanks to terroir and fruit and very well balanced components”. The range features, from Roncaglia: soft and elegant single vineyard Dolcetto; concentrated old vine Barbera, full of dark cherry and plum fruit; and a silky, perfumed Barbaresco brimming with red fruits, rose and sweet spices. Nebbiolo d’Alba, from Cascine Drago, is a stand-out for the variety, well-structured with gamey and raspberry hints and excellent balance. The 2006 Barolo is so good we secured some more. Antonio Galloni says it “is a bombastic, textured wine made in a surprisingly full-bodied style for this domaine. Though somewhat aromatically closed at first, the wine’s pedigree is impossible to miss, as waves of dark fruit meld into grilled herbs, rosemary, spices and dried roses. Sweet, mentholated notes add complexity as this majestic Barolo continues to open up in the glass. This is without question one of the standouts of the vintage.”
Wines
Dolcetto d’Alba DOC ‘Pian Balbo’
Barbera d’Alba DOC ‘Costa Bruna’
Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC
Barbaresco DOCG Roncaglie
Barolo DOCG Bussia ‘Dardi Le Rose’
Cellar release Barbaresco 3 x ‘96 & 3 x ‘97 (wooden box)