Roagna Paje, Barbaresco DOCG, Italy 2019

Roagna is one of Piedmont’s most revered traditional wineries, a fifth-generation family estate rooted in the hills of Barbaresco and Barolo. Led today by Luca Roagna, the domaine is known for its uncompromising commitment to purity, biodiversity, and old-vine Nebbiolo. The vineyards—most famously Pajè, Asili, Montefico, and the Barolo monopole Pira—are farmed with minimal intervention to preserve the natural balance of each site. In the cellar, Roagna follows a slow, classical approach: indigenous yeasts, long submerged-cap fermentations, and extended aging in large neutral oak casks. The result is a collection of wines that are deeply expressive, structured, and profoundly tied to their terroir, offering some of the most soulful and age-worthy expressions of Barbaresco and Barolo produced today.

"Luca Roagna's father was born in 1953, and that year also marks the first vintage this wine was produced by Luca's grandfather Alfredo, who was deeply convinced by the potential of this vineyard and went into deep financial debt after the war in order to purchase this land. The 2019 Barbaresco Pajè is muscular and firm with dark fruit and grippy tannins. There is a chalky quality that reflects the site's limestone soils. Delivering ample heft and dimension, this is a wine of substance." Wine Advocate 96