Fruits of the forest that are out of this world

I'll never forget my first visit to Roagna. A fading, rusty sign points us to a utilitarian farmyard just outside the sleepy town of Barbaresco. Son Luca emerges from nowhere, greets us warmly, and leads us into a barn whose door remains ajar despite the biting cold. Inside, boxes are stacked neatly, their simple, black, Roagna logos perfectly aligned, and bottles are open, ready to taste. As my eyes adjust to the gloom I become aware of another presence, a man sitting at a flimsy table, wrapped against the cold in multiple layers of well-worn clothes and a scruffy woollen hat, meticulously sticking labels on bottles one-by-one. As we leave he looks up from his work and casts us a mischievous smile. Only later do I discover that he's Alfredo, Luca's father.

Luca is the fifth generation of a family that's been making wine organically for well over a century. Their approach has at its heart the concept that the vine's natural habitat is the forest. Biodiversity is key: vines are chosen by massal selection, not clonal, and their vineyards are a plant and wildlife haven, the earth between vines not even ploughed but the grass simply cut in order to control the humidity level. Old vines are cherished - some in Castiglione Falletto are as much as 100 years of age.

Although they like to appear rustic, the Roagnas have never been afraid to innovate, and they recently completed a cutting-edge new cellar in Castiglione Falletto (though Alfredo prefers his farmyard in Barbaresco!). Their reputation has rightly soared: these are great, ageworthy Nebbiolos, some of the most exciting wines produced in Barbaresco and Barolo. The recently released 2008s are must-haves for Roagna fans. /AR

Offered subject to remaining unsold; available imminently