Vine Farmer Day 2: Barbera with No Makeup On
As part of our five-day importer focus on Vine Farmer, today we’re featuring a wine that perfectly captures what makes jace’s imports intriguing:
There is no makeup on this wine.
The 2024 Cascina Val del Prete “Serra de’ Gatti” Barbera d’Alba DOC comes from Priocca, on the northwestern edge of Roero, where the soils shift from Roero’s typical sand to more clay and limestone, thanks to its proximity to Barbaresco. That clay-rich terroir makes all the difference for Barbera, giving this wine more structure, mineral depth, and freshness than most examples from the appellation.
“Serra de’ Gatti” is 100% Barbera from blue clay soils, fermented with 25–30 days of skin contact in stainless steel, then aged entirely in steel and bottle. The result is an energetic, “makeup-free” Barbera: black cherry, plum, herbs, bright acidity, and pure mineral tension.
The estate itself has a fascinating story. Val del Prete — “Valley of the Priest” — was purchased in 1977 by Bartolomeo Roagna, a sharecropper on the property at the time. Today, the winery is run by three generations of the Roagna family, including Giovanni “Nino” Roagna, who joined in 2010.
And yes, this is the Roagna family of Roero, first cousins to the legendary Luca Roagna and the famed Roagna family of Barbaresco. But rather than imitate Barolo or Barbaresco, Giovanni is part of a new wave of Roero producers focused on expressing Roero’s identity honestly instead of copying what had been done previously.
I’m happy to say that today is my birthday, and this is what I picked for my dinner table today. The wine is delicious. It’s my personal price point of under $20 where I want to nerd out and find a great bottle of wine. And I’m a history wonk who respects that the greats who came before me probably will always know more than I will about their speciality. If the Gresy and Roagna families have been working these lands for nearly 200 years, there is something special going on here.
90 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Vibrant and energetic Barbera that opens with an intriguing floral burst of violets and wild roses. The palate zips with characteristic black cherry, ripe plum, and fresh blackberry, all carried by Barbera's signature electric acidity. There's a wild, untamed quality that makes this wine particularly engaging and fun to drink.