RWM Day 4, a Pivot to Italy with De Forville
Imported by RWM, who have championed this historic estate since their very first vintage together in 1978, De Forville remains one of Piedmont’s great traditionalist families. In fact, RWM imports this wine and has worked continuously with the Anfosso-De Forville family for nearly five decades—a relationship that speaks volumes about both quality and consistency.
The story begins in 1848, when the De Forville family emigrated from Belgium to Piedmont, settling in Barbaresco by 1860. From the very start, they dedicated themselves to Nebbiolo, passing down knowledge through five generations. Today, Valter and Paolo Anfosso carry that legacy forward, farming just under 11 hectares across prized sites in Barbaresco and nearby Castagnole Lanze, while maintaining a deeply traditional approach in both vineyard and cellar.
But it’s this “San Rocco” bottling that truly stands apart.
Sourced from hillside estate vineyards in San Rocco d’Elvio which is positioned between Barbaresco and Barolo, this cuvée behaves less like a Nebbiolo d’Alba and more like a declassified Barolo. The structure is firmer, the fruit profile darker and more brooding, and the overall impression more serious and age-worthy. It’s no surprise that within the estate, this wine is often considered their “Barolo in all but name.”
Vinification mirrors that of their Barbaresco: hand-harvested fruit, extended maceration, and aging in large neutral oak botti. The result is a wine of remarkable richness and tannin. Layered with dark cherry, rose petal, earth, and spice, all framed by Nebbiolo’s signature tannins and lifted acidity, this is a Langhe wine for the Serralunga drinker. It’s a wine that will absolutely reward patience, but with a proper decant, it already offers an impressive window into its potential.
Production is extremely limited, with only about 3,000 bottles allocated annually for the U.S. market, making this not just a great value, but a rare one as well.
