Winemaker Notes
The Sorì 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. Sorì 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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Wine Spectator
Alluring aromas and flavors of cherry, raspberry, leafy underbrush, tar, iron and hay mark this luscious red, which is fresh and firm at once, with a chalky, minerally essence on the long finish. Best from 2026 through 2042.
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James Suckling
This offers a broad spectrum of aromas, from toasted spices and walnut shell to vibrant red fruit and rose petals. Hints of earth and undergrowth, too. Very dynamic and meaty on the palate with a full body and beautiful tannins. It’s velvety and compact and evenly distributed. Crunchy, too. Better after 2026.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
In the local dialect, a "sorì" refers to the top of a hill that gets the most sunlight. The 2020 Barbaresco Serraboella Sorì Paitin is a special selection of fruit from a pinpoint area within this greater cru site in the village of Neive. Certified for organics, it does indeed show slightly riper and sweeter fruit, which is expected given the very warm temperatures seen during this growing season. This wine does not have the same austerity that we get in the wider selection from Serraboella. Instead, this bottle offers a softly layered expression with cassis, red rose, peony, apricot, spice and iodine.
Rating: 94+
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.