I have reviewed four wines from Brovia, all from the 2020 vintage, all from Barolo. All are Nebbiolo. Scores range from 98 to 99, averaging 98; the highest is the 2020 Brovia “Garblèt Sue'” Barolo (99 points). Brovia also features in one journal article on this site.
Brovia is a connoisseur’s Barolo estate, cherished for its transparency and elegance. Based in Castiglione Falletto and run by the Brovia sisters and their family, it was an early adopter of organic farming, long before it was fashionable. The style is staunchly traditional, with minimal intervention, but with a purity that sets it apart: the wines are never heavy or oxidized.
The single-vineyard Barolos are studies in terroir. Villero, one of the great sites of Castiglione Falletto, gives depth, structure and longevity in a refined frame of red cherry, rose and licorice. Rocche di Castiglione is the most perfumed and luxurious, and Garblèt Sue’, also in Castiglione Falletto, combines power and intensity with balance. Brea Ca’ Mia, from the Brea vineyard across the valley in Serralunga d’Alba, is the most structured of the range, darker and built for long ageing.
In the 2021 vintage Villero and Rocche di Castiglione showed a crystalline transparency that put Brovia among the stars of Castiglione Falletto. A Brovia Barolo is defined by its perfume, silky texture and ability to age with grace.
After a series of warmer, solar vintages, 2021 marks a majestic return to the “Alpine” soul of Nebbiolo. Defined by a long, snowy winter and a perfectly paced autumn, this is a vintage of noble austerity and breathtaking precision. These are not the open-knit wines of 2020; they are tension-filled, vertical, and built for the long haul. With “crunchy” red fruit, savory minerality, and a spine of vibrant acidity, 2021 is being hailed as the most complete and “classic” vintage since 2016—a year where the distinct terroir of each commune is rendered in high definition.
