Winemaker Notes
The Sori Paitin belongs to the Pasquero-Elia heirs since 1796. It is the Serraboella warmest slope, graced with unique soils that since ages is planted with Nebbiolo. Sori means the first place where the snow melts with the first winter sun rays. Ancient rule to select the best plots for Nebbiolo. Serraboella is the most famous cru in the Southern Neive. A long hill exposed to West that gently bends towards South getting steeper. On this very side: the steepest and the warmest, the Barbaresco has a unique expression. Power, volume are laced by a elegant texture.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Because the Vecchie Vigne was not made in 2022, fruit from the old vines was directed to this wine instead. The Paitin 2022 Barbaresco Serraboella Sorì Paitin is a beautiful wine with dark elements of graphite, dusty root, pencil shaving and licorice. This site has active limestone, and this brings a sense of greater volume in terms of mouthfeel, tannic firmness and balanced acidity.
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James Suckling
Well defined aromas express a striking mix of clove, mushroom and hazelnut. On the palate, sweet spice infuses the raspberry canvas. This is vertical and fairly austere, with dry tannins around the edges which bolster the wine with a forceful grip. Steely acidity accentuates, and some cooling mint, rose and pepper emerge as the wine opens. Dynamic rather than elegant, and in need of more time. In Piemontese dialect, sorì refers to the best exposed slope of a hill. For the Paitin estate, that means the warmest, steepest section of the Serraboella MGA, which faces southwest.
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Vinous
The 2022 Barbaresco Sorì Paitin is a promising wine. Although not fully formed, the 2022 possesses notable textural depth. Macerated cherry, blood orange, spice, menthol and crushed autumn leaves build with some coaxing. I am looking forward to checking in on this once it has been bottled.
Barrel Sample: 91-94 -
Wine Spectator
A generous, lively red, this evokes strawberry, cherry, raspberry, rose hip, eucalyptus and mineral flavors. Firmly structured, with a linear path of assertive tannins gripping the finish. Nonetheless, this is long and detailed.
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.