2014 Sottimano Barbaresco Pajoré- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Robert Pavlovich recommended the 2008 Sottimano Pajoré the other day. I couldn’t find a 2008 but this 2014 is pretty damn good … Reflecting what I’ve found is a very good vintage in Barbaresco … and Sottimano of recent years is taking a more traditional approach (longer macerations and less new oak) … An austere bouquet of black cherries, blackberries, liquorice, minerals and slate. On the second evening I coaxed a little tar and earth out. Drinking it, it’s very young, of course. Intense, precise and mineral. Dark fruit, with elegant and refined tannins, with austere iron at its core. The oak and fruit well balanced, with good fruit weight and structure. On the second evening, a little umami, soy. Classy. Give it 5+ years. A high, south-west oriented vineyard with 50-70 year old vines. Made with 15% new barriques, the rest between 1-4 years old. (93 pts.)
Very nice note. Classy sums it up. I was fortunate to taste through the 2014 line-up with Elena Sottimano in a visit two weeks ago. All of them were excellent, notwithstanding concerns about the vintage.
I haven’t had enough of the 2013s to make a valid comparison but in general, for my tastes, I’d give a slight nod to 2013. There’s a little more body to them.
Jeff, is this a domaine you recommend to visit? Will be in the region in the beginning of August, and most domaines are closed, so I may also try this one if you recommend it - did they have a couple of bottles to sell at the domaine?
We had a great visit. Elena was very nice and welcoming, showing us around the operation and tasting through a bunch of wine. If you like their wines, I would recommend trying to set something up.
That being said, this is a really small family operation. It is on a side street amongst residences and is somewhat difficult to identify as a winery unless you’re really looking for it. There are no sales at the cellar door. They seem to welcome visitors who are interested in the wines but not really seek them out. I don’t know their availability in August.
A better option might be Giuseppe Cortese, which is literally right around the corner. A more extensive tour, beautiful views of the vineyards and sales of both current releases and library wines. I like Sottimano’s wines better but enjoyed both visits.
Slight thread drift, but does Nebbiolo have an early drinking window before shutting down?
I’ve tried some younger (maybe 5 years from vintage) Nebbiolo that was pretty brutal, but never 3 years from vintage young. If there is a shutdown point, when is the “hands off” period?
Hi Eric
It does depend. Some wines / wines in vintages don’t shut down hard. Whilst I wouldn’t recommend them for drinking young, a lot have sufficient youthful fruit to give a degree of balance on release, so much so that the tannins can creep up on you (i.e. you hardly notice them on the first couple of sips).
So no simple rule, just try to get a feel for producer/wine/vintage and if needing something to drink young, try to find a langhe nebbiolo / nebbiolo d’Alba or producer who makes more approachable wines to act as a ‘cellar defender’.
In Barbaresco anyway (Barolo may be different) 2014 is IMO a good vintage, of similar high quality to 2013. Both are fresher, more classical vintages, compared with say 2011 and 2015, where the Barbarescos are (typically) a lot riper and richer. In 2014s, I’ve detected a more floral component and more elegance perhaps than with the 2013s. With 2013s, I’ve seen a little more generosity and stuffing. But, as I say, on what I’ve tasted, and what four of the leading winemakers have said, the vintages are more similar in quality than different.
Eric, I agree with Ian’s comments. I think Nebbiolo often does have an early drinking window. I don’t know a specific shutdown period, but I suspect it varies.
With Barolos or Barbaresco, for a producer, cuvée or a vintage I don’t know enough about I’ll often buy a bottle from a shop or order 4 bottles from a supplier (to cellar 3), so I can open one early.
For Nebbiolo the key for me is to open it within a year or so of release. I would rarely risk 2 years and would never wait as long as 5 years.
I’d often look for a lighter, more elegant vintage like 2014 or 2012 and not a tannic, structured beast like 2006 or a producer and site along those lines (eg Marcarini Brunate). Also, IMO serious Modernists will often show worse early than Traditionalists due to the unintegrated new oak.
Last year I opened a new release 2012 Rinaldi Tre Tine at a dinner. It was quite drinkable on the night but you could see the structure and power there. One guy at the dinner has back vintages of Rinaldi in his cellar but had never actually opened one because they’re all too young, so he really appreciated it.
I am currently in Barbaresco. Have tried a few 2014s and quite like them, although I don’t have the experience over the years. Seems to be a quite fresh vintage, although no unripe tannins can be detected. Eg quite liked a Musso Barbaresco Pora 2014 - good wine at a reasonable price.
I am curious to see how the 2015s will fare - the Nebbiolo Langhe’s I have tried are very enjoyable for the price (sometimes as low as EUR 10) but tend to be on the more open and riper side. This is fine at this level, but I am wondering whether the Barbaresco’s will not be too rich. Let’s wait and see!
Yes, Barbaresco escaped the hail that hit Barolo a couple of times in the summer of '14 and, as I recall, they got a little less rain, too.
When I was there last September, no one was ranking '14 with '13 or '15. Cortese had sold out of the regular '13. I doubt that will happen in '14. But if it turns out as well or better than '12 in Barbaresco, that wouldn’t be bad at all. The Produttori are bottling the crus.
Howard - Have you tasted '15 Barbarescos? The lesser wines I’ve had from '15 have been very good – ripe but not hot or flabby like a lot of the '09s and '11s – and the producers last year seemed quite excited about '15.
12 produttori normale was excellent, if 14 is a similar style I will be very happy. Although if they’re bottling crus in 14 perhaps the normale may not be quite as good as the 12
I just tasted this yesterday and was quite impressed. Having tasted it next to the Cotta and Fausoni, I found it to the the standout of the three, and gave it the same score as Howard.
“The bouquet was wonderfully feminine and pretty with rosy floral tones, ripe strawberry, dusty dry earth and hints of spice. On the palate, I found beautiful crystalline red berry fruit, almost crunchy with spice and minerality, all on a medium bodied frame with brisk acidity keeping things lively. The finish was youthfully tannic, yet the Pajore was most approachable in the range of ‘14 crus, with fine tannin saturating the senses as dried berry and hints of spice lingering on the senses.”
John, Aldo Vacca, Renato Vacca and Francesco Rocca all rated 2014 Barbaresco, similarly to the 2013s. They were all planning to do Riservas and Crus in 2014. The vintages are more similar than different in Barbaresco, typically classical with great aromatics.
2015 is more back to 2011 (and Produttori is planning Riservas again). The vintage style comes through my barrel tasting notes for the 2015s:
2015 Bruno Rocca Barbaresco Rabajà Riserva- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco Bruno Rocca visit with Francesco Rocca (Rabajà, Barbaresco): A contrast here, very much vintage influenced. On both bouquet and palate, a bigger, richer, riper expression than the '14 Rabajà Riserva. A large volume of dense, opulent dark fruit with tons of power and less evident acidity. Still, there is a mineral and chalky complexity, mixed dark spices and touches of cassis. Another excellent wine, it depends on your palate preference (preferred over the '14 Riserva by Andrew, in our group).
2015 Bruno Rocca Barbaresco Riserva Currá- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco Bruno Rocca visit with Francesco Rocca (Rabajà, Barbaresco): On this barrel tasting, I rated the 2015 Riserva Currà slightly above the 2015 Riserva Rabajà. Reduction on the bouquet but a more aromatic sample, with lifted florals. Again, very silky on palate, but with serious tannic structure below the surface. Elegant, poised and ethereal. “Feminine” said Francesco. Good length. On this potential, a very good wine, competing with the 2015 Rabajà Riserva.
2015 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco Cantina del Pino tasting with Renato (Ovello, Barbaresco): We tasted from the three barrels the components of the Barbaresco Normale. The three elements showed their different terroirs well. The Starderi had a deep colour with dark fruit on the nose and palate. Muscular, fresh with menthol and mint. The Gallina was a little reduced and also dark fruited but lighter. The Ovello element was even more reductive, showing dark fruit and greater elegance. However, there was additional power here, with gruntier tannins on the mid and back palate. It’ll be interesting to see these three elements come together in the finished wine. I would expect it to be powerful and ripe, but not without finesse.
2015 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco Albesani- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco Cantina del Pino tasting with Renato (Ovello, Barbaresco): Renato lost 50% of his crop due to sunburn. A nose of earth, forest floor and dark fruit. On palate, fully ripe and quite opulent. With a solid earthy, iron core. Quite structured but not heavily extracted or oxidative (as is the house style, gently handled). Quite elegant and long.
2015 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco Ovello- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco Cantina del Pino tasting with Renato (Ovello, Barbaresco): The 2015 SV Ovello was quite different. Renato noted the lighter colour from the more directly south facing vineyard. Beautifully aromatic with bright red fruit and a hint of chalk. In the mouth, a step above the other '15s. Fine with red cherries, red currants, raspberries and chalky minerals. Definitely fully ripe, but not seemingly overripe.
Daniel, I haven’t tried the 2014 Produttori Normale but I have tried the 2013 and actually prefer it to the 2012.
Eric, good to hear that. A question for you (or anyone who can chip in). I’ve followed Sottimano for a few years and have often been a little underwhelmed by Cru in the 2004-2006 range, feeling the oak was a little heavy handed. Do you know when the change has come about or is it a more gradual evolution?
Thanks for the notes on the '15s. That’s interesting. Enrico Dellapiano at Rizzi said last fall that '16 looked better than '15, indicating that '15 might have been a tad warmer than ideal (though he was very happy with '15). My sense of the post '12 vintages was from the Langhe nebbiolos and other grapes, and a few '13 Barbarescos.
That’s great news if '14 was so good in Barbaresco!
My understanding is that it was around 2005 that Andreas took the reins at Sottimano, but that it’s been a slow process to take more control away from his dad throughout that time. I really started to notice the wines with the 2010 vintage and I feel like it’s been a steady incline since that time.