Winemaker Notes
Voluptuousness, stout and sensual, with fruit and floral notes opening into a wine of immediate balance.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Exuding finesse, with expressive aromas and flavors of cherry, strawberry, currant, rose and mint, this red is complex, structured and long. Its dense foundation of tannins and lively acidity define the long, mineral-infused aftertaste. Best from 2028 through 2045. 250 cases made, 60 cases imported.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Paitin 2021 Barbaresco Faset shows terrific aromatic intensity with a combination of flavors that spans dried fruit, soft earthy tones, leaf and underbrush. It comes across as a classic interpretation of Nebbiolo with added complexity. The Basarin, with its typical Sant’Agata marl soils, is a wine of substance and power, but ultimately, the wine’s flavor profile veers toward ripeness and autumnal notes. It ages in large Slavonian oak casks for 20 months.
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James Suckling
Fresh violet and red cherry aromas with spicy complexity. Firm and concentrated with a medium body and crisp acidity. Very chewy and polished in the finish. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Opening with aromas of black cherry and boysenberry jam, this wine captivates with its depth. Sweet spices dance in the glass, reminiscent of cinnamon and nutmeg, along with a hint of sweet incense and the delicate promise of a yet-to-bloom rose. On the palate, it's a round and plush experience, as if mixed berries are being prepared to make jam. The fruit is forward and vibrant, with a mix of ripe and juicy flavors. The tannins, though ample and solid, are surprisingly ripe and giving, offering a balance of power and elegance. Drink from 2025.
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.
A wine that most perfectly conveys the spirit and essence of its place, Barbaresco is true reflection of terroir. Its star grape, like that in the neighboring Barolo region, is Nebbiolo. Four townships within the Barbaresco zone can produce Barbaresco: the actual village of Barbaresco, as well as Neive, Treiso and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio.
Broadly speaking there are more similarities in the soils of Barbaresco and Barolo than there are differences. Barbaresco’s soils are approximately of the same two major soil types as Barolo: blue-grey marl of the Tortonion epoch, producing more fragile and aromatic characteristics, and Helvetian white yellow marl, which produces wines with more structure and tannins.
Nebbiolo ripens earlier in Barbaresco than in Barolo, primarily due to the vineyards’ proximity to the Tanaro River and lower elevations. While the wines here are still powerful, Barbaresco expresses a more feminine side of Nebbiolo, often with softer tannins, delicate fruit and an elegant perfume. Typical in a well-made Barbaresco are expressions of rose petal, cherry, strawberry, violets, smoke and spice. These wines need a few years before they reach their peak, the best of which need over a decade or longer. Bottle aging adds more savory characteristics, such as earth, iron and dried fruit.