DeForville, Nebbiolo d'Alba, San Rocco

I’ve written this before, and it still holds true: if there were such a thing as a Wine Value Hall of Fame, De Forville would already have more than one seat reserved—quietly, without ceremony, no speeches required. Most people know the estate for its delicious Barbaresco, but among those who actually pay attention, there’s long been talk of another bottle—one that consistently punches well above its appellation and drinks far closer to Barolo in both structure and depth. This wine is neither Barolo nor Barbaresco, but comes from the small, windswept hilltop village of San Rocco d’Elvio, a prime south-facing site perched squarely between the two zones—one of those in-between places that never chased fame, yet quietly produces some of the most compelling Nebbiolo in Piedmont. The Nebbiolo d’Alba “San Rocco” is the brooding sibling in the De Forville lineup, trading perfume for structure and brightness for depth, and delivering the kind of old-school Nebbiolo character that’s getting harder to find—and at this price, nearly impossible to ignore. This is not a simple Nebbiolo; it’s a serious wine hiding in plain sight behind a modest label—at this price, one to buy by the case, drink some over the next year, and forget a few bottles for three to five years to understand exactly why this village has the reputation it does.

Piedmont is one of the world’s great terroir-driven wine regions, defined by fog, elevation, and patience. At its heart lie the Langhe hills, a tight web of steep, rolling vineyards rising above the Tanaro River, where Nebbiolo finds its most profound expression. Here, village boundaries matter. Barolo—with communes like La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, and Castiglione Falletto—is known for power, depth, and formidable structure. Barbaresco, centered around Barbaresco, Neive, and Treiso, tends toward elegance, perfume, and earlier approachability. These differences aren’t philosophical; they’re geological. The Langhe is a patchwork of ancient marine soils—marl, limestone, sandstone, and clay—laid down millions of years ago, with subtle shifts that dramatically shape Nebbiolo’s character from hill to hill.

San Rocco d’Elvio sits squarely between these two worlds—geographically, geologically, and stylistically. Perched on a high ridge just south of Alba, the vineyards here benefit from south-facing exposure, higher elevation, and compact calcareous clay and marl soils that naturally produce darker fruit, firmer tannins, and a more somber, Barolo-leaning profile. Long prized by growers but rarely celebrated, San Rocco has quietly built a reputation for Nebbiolo with real backbone and longevity. At De Forville, this site has always been treated as something more serious than Langhe Nebbiolo, vinified with greater patience and released later to allow the structure to settle.

The De Forville estate traces its roots back to 1848, when the family left Belgium and settled in Piedmont, planting vines in Barbaresco by 1860. Today, brothers Valter and Paolo Anfosso farm roughly eleven hectares across Barbaresco and surrounding communes with a resolutely traditional philosophy. Their modest cantina sits quietly in the village of Barbaresco—famously just across the street from Gaja—but the approach could not be more different: long fermentations, aging in large neutral oak botti, and no cosmetic winemaking. The San Rocco d’Elvio bottling has long stood apart within the lineup, offering a darker, more structured expression of Nebbiolo that feels closer in spirit to Barolo than Barbaresco.

Handled with extra patience in the cellar, the San Rocco undergoes a longer fermentation and extended élevage than the estate’s Langhe Nebbiolo before release. In the glass, the 2023 opens with ripe dark cherry, black plum, and dried orange peel, layered with wildflowers and dried rose, followed by classic Nebbiolo notes of iron, tar, crushed stone, and subtle savory herbs. The palate is firm and structured, with real grip through the mid-palate, balanced by fresh acidity and a long, savory finish that begs for food. This is Nebbiolo made for the table: exceptional with brasato al Barolo, tajarin with butter and white truffles, agnolotti del plin, veal shank, or slow-braised beef with rosemary and garlic. Serve it with a slight chill, give it some air, and let it do what great Piedmont wines have always done best—make a meal last longer.