La Ca Nova di Rocca
Montestefano
Barbaresco
2021

The producer

The wine

La Ca Növa’s Montestefano Barbaresco is produced from one of the denomination’s most celebrated crus, where steep south-facing slopes and calcareous marl soils give Nebbiolo both power and refinement. Fermentation takes place naturally with indigenous yeasts and without temperature control, preserving the purity and individuality of the fruit. Extended maceration on the skins allows for gentle yet thorough extraction, building the wine’s depth and structure while maintaining aromatic precision. Ageing follows in large traditional oak casks, favouring slow evolution and transparency over overt oak influence.

Montestefano is often regarded as one of the most structured and age-worthy sites in Barbaresco, and La Ca Növa’s interpretation captures this beautifully. The wine shows layered aromas of rose petal, red cherry and wild strawberry alongside notes of liquorice, dried herbs, tobacco and crushed stone. The palate combines concentration with remarkable energy, supported by firm yet polished tannins and vibrant acidity. Still youthful in character, it possesses the balance and architecture to develop superbly over the coming decades, reflecting both the pedigree of the vineyard and the estate’s deeply traditional approach to Barbaresco.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.