Winemaker Notes
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Paje Riserva is a ruby red color. On the nose, red fruit notes with delicate floral hints. Complex with with bright fruit. Lively acidity and a pleasantly tannic finish.
Proximity to the Tanaro River creates a unique microclimate for the Pora, a beautiful hill with West and South exposures, while the northern side of the hill is an abrupt bluff that drops into the river and where the famous white truffles can be find on season. Due to the proximity to the valley floor, Pora is relatively warm in the early morning hours, but breezy with slightly higher humidity through most of the day. Soil fertility is slightly higher here and this gives to the wine a smoother character, tannins are soft and the aromas always tend to open up in the early years of life. Pora is also one of the most historical vineyards in Barbaresco, as it was part of the property of Domizio Cavazza, the father of Barbaresco, who in 1894, founded the first Cantina Sociale. Produced as a single vineyard by Produttori del Barbaresco since 1967.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Paje is impressive on all fronts, but especially in terms of aromas. There's so much brightness here with red and purple fruits, rust and a dark note of clove or exotic spice. No element is out of place, but together they help to build the intensity of this balanced wine. It shows a soft, velvety texture, and perhaps there is a little more ripeness overall in this warm vintage.
Best After 2024
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Wine Spectator
Leads with a whiff of freshly mown hay, which leads to cherry, currant, tar and eucalyptus flavors. Linear and chewy, with hints of underbrush and iron on the lingering finish. Best from 2025 through 2042.
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.