2020 Boca, Tenuta Guardasole

2020 Boca, Tenuta Guardasole

£185 per 6 bottle case in bond

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Simply put, Alto Piemonte is a region on which to focus if you are looking for value. This quiet region remains off radar despite recent developments. It doesn’t receive the volume of visitors that arrive in Alba each year ready to explore Barolo or Barbaresco, but it is growing in recognition.
 
I regard this area as producing some truly stunning wines, invariably with softer tannins than you would find in Barolo and at remarkably fair prices. In fact, it seems many consumers overlook great wines from unknown villages in Alto Piemonte, such as Boca, Ghemme or Bramaterra (to name but a few), perhaps incorrectly believing that modest quality must accompany modest price. But they are wrong, and it seems there is a growing realisation that Alto Piemonte is on the up – unsurprising given the quality of recent vintages and perhaps a beneficial shift in climate. It is hard to find a region where you can buy great examples of characterful, cellarage-worthy wines for such fair prices.
 
A few years before Roberto Conterno of Monfortino fame purchased a stake in Nervi in Gattinara, Antonio Galloni commented on Vinous that ‘there aren’t too many secrets left anymore in the world of wine. Alto Piemonte and Valtellina are two of them.’  With such high profile acquisitions, Alto Piemonte is gradually gaining greater attention and rightly so. As one grower commented to me, ‘we used to get too much rain, and attaining full ripeness could be a challenge. Now ripeness is more easily won and we get just enough rain, when the vineyards of Barolo might struggle with drought.’  Funnily enough, if you go way back in history, the wines of Alto Piemonte commanded higher prices than Burgundy…
 
The dominant grape variety in Alto Piemonte is Nebbiolo, just as in Barolo and Barbaresco, yet here it is often blended with Vespolina, another indigenous variety peculiar to the region, which adds to Nebbiolo’s aromatics and helps soften the palate, whilst adding a certain spiciness of its own. Whereas Barolo faces challenges in hotter vintages – where some full south-facing slopes are delivering more weight and alcohol – Alto Piemonte, with its cooler climatic profile and dramatic shifts between day and night temperature, often benefits from such conditions.
 
I tasted the 2018 Guardasole, Boca and quite quickly decided that it was an absolute bargain. The 2018 had an immediacy – you could broach the wine straight-away. The 2019 vintage is a touch more serious – and frankly I was stunned by just how good it is. And 2020 follows in a similar vein to the 2019. I have tasted it on two separate occasions now and while it has been slow to reveal its charms, it has settled down well and shows really good potential. I really like the precision of the wine; it has all those scented, rose and citrus aromas, backed by a gently spicy dark cherry fruit with notes of pomegranate and orange zest. Antonio Galloni tasted last year – I have tasted twice this year. I think he caught it at an awkward stage when tasting before bottling and the wine has since come on hugely. I include his note below for clarity, but would suggest that were he to retaste today, that element of rusticity would be downplayed.

The Guardasole estate is absolutely tiny with just two hectares of vines across three historic plots planted with 80% Nebbiolo and 20% Vespolina. The vineyards are at an altitude that ranges from 460-490 metres and consist of volcanic rock and porphyry pebbles (basically coarse ground crystals embedded in igneous rock if my GCSE Geography serves me well). These factors contribute to the style of Boca, which is also shaped by the northern air currents from Mount Rosa, which leads to a significant shift in day to night-time temperatures (mentioned above) – a pattern that serves Nebbiolo particularly well. The region typically experiences mild winters and warm, sunny summers, permitting a relatively long growing season for a late ripening variety such as Nebbiolo; harvest normally commences in early October.
 
Boca has to be aged for 34 months before release, and 18 of those months must be in oak – not dissimilar to Barolo. This vintage comprises 80% Nebbiolo and 20% Vespolina as per the vineyard blend. It is aged for 34 months in durmast oak barrels before release.