Description
Organic Sottimano Barbera D’Alba Pairolero
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Area: Piemonte/ Piedmont
Location: Comune di Neive
Orientation: sud/ovest
Size of Vineyard: 2.5 ha
Average production: 12.000
Andrea Sottimano and his father Rino produce wines of outstanding quality from thirteen lovingly cared for hectares in the Cottà, Currà, Fausoni, Pajoré and Basarin crus in the Treiso and Neive townships. Their Barbarescos are elegant, evocative, subtle and yet hearty – to taste these crus side-by-side is to reply with a resounding YES to skeptics of terroir that question whether differences of only 200 meters does matter!
The approach here is one of minimal intervention: indigenous yeasts, no fining or filtering. No insecticides are used and only organic fertilizers are used, and only minimally. Natural cover crops (grass cover) are left in the rows between the vines and are mowed 2 or 3 times a year. In autumn the soil of every other row between the vines is tilled. Each of their four cru Barbarescos are given the same treatment to allow the uniqueness of each cru to express itself. Fermentation is done in oak, of which about 30% is new, followed by 18-20 months in neutral barriques.
Vineyards: Pairolero is a blend of two different vineyards of Barbera in Neive: Basarin and San Cristoforo.
Vinification: The fermentation and the maceration of the skins normally takes about 25 days. No selected yeasts are used. The malolactic fermentation happens in French barrels coopered expressively for us by Francois Frères in Burgundy. The wine stays in these barrels for approximately 15-16 months, half of this time on its lees.
15% of the barrels used for ageing this wine are new, the remaining 85% have previously been used up to 4 times. There is no filtering and no fining prior to bottling.
The Barbera Pairolero has a dark, inky red, with loads of red fruits, minerals and a touch of graphite on the nose with a long, rich taste in which the fruity components and the spicy notes are well balanced by good acidity. Alc. 14%
93/100 Antonio Galloni on November 2022, Vinous
The 2021 Barbera d’Alba Superiore Pairolero is a heady, explosive wine. Black cherry, new leather, licorice, cloves and gravel infuse the Barbera with so much flavour intensity. Bright acids lend quite a bit of energy throughout. The 2021 is incredibly promising. It was aged in a combination of tank and cask.
“I can’t say enough good things about the Sottimano family and the work they have done over the years to firmly establish themselves among Barbaresco’s top growers.” – Antonio Galloni
