Winemaker Notes
From a south-east exposure vineyard in Ginestra cru, this opulent Barolo, with notes of jam, blueberries and eucalyptus. Great wine to drink now or within the next 15 years.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The 7.5 acres of nebbiolo vines that Domenico Clerico farms in Pajana, a cru in Ginestra, Monforte d’Alba, date to 1965 and 1970. He produces this wine in rotofermenters and ages it in French oak barriques (80 percent new) for 24 to 30 months. So you might expect it to be massive, but you might not expect the underlying energy of the 2010 vintage that drives it, or the delicacy of the bright, violet-scented fruit. While powerful oak tannins dry the mouth, the fruit rejuices it—fresh black fruit touching on anise and truffles. It’s finely integrated and built for long aging.
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James Suckling
A solid wine for the vintage with pretty fruit such as cherry and plum, as well as a light minerality. Full body with chewy tannins and a polished finish. Well-crafted young wine.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Barolo Pajana is a stunning wine that shows the power and heft of the vintage. Its texture is soft and enduring with sweet almond, toasted hazelnut, bright cherry, spice and tobacco. The young tannins require more time to soften and integrate. Drink: 2017-2032.
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Wine Spectator
Pretty floral and cherry notes are grounded by iron, tar and tobacco elements in this beefy red, accented by a hint of oak. The tannins are aggressive yet well-integrated. Finishes long and spicy, with fine grip. Best from 2018 through 2030.
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Wine Enthusiast
Ripe berry, tilled earth, violet, grilled herb and coffee aromas lead the nose on this firmly structured wine. The palate delivers black cherry, crushed raspberry, chocolate, anisette and black pepper. It's supported by a backbone of bracing, astringent tannins.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.