Winemaker Notes
The nose is characterized by balsamic herbs, minerality and spices. The palate offers a hint of wild fruit, together with an intense fruity texture, characterized in particular by cherry and strawberry. Long and velvety tannins accompany a spicy note, typical of this particular area of the municipality of Neive, facing the municipality of Treiso.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of dried cherries, cocoa, cinnamon and bark with hits of dried rose petals. Medium- to full-bodied and structured with taut but fine tannins, that last long. Shows tension and depth. Lingering finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A generous sweet perfume of pressed violets, ripe cherry, cinnamon, and incense emerges from the 2020 Barbaresco Basarin. The tannins are more giving here, and its fruit expands through the palate, with refreshing acidity and wonderful balance and purity. It is drinking well now and will continue to improve over the coming 10-15 years.
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Vinous
The 2020 Barbaresco Basarin is just now starting to open aromatically, although it remains quite pointed in its acid and tannin profile. Sweet macerated cherry, tobacco, cedar and incense are nicely lifted in this classic, mid-weight Barbaresco. This is such a gorgeous wine.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
With fruit from the village of Neive, the 2020 Barbaresco Basarin is a generous and fleshed-out wine with soft fruit tones and plenty of bold cherry. Sottimano Maggiore likes to work with ambient yeasts and submerged cap. This is a fruit-forward Nebbiolo from a warm vintage. It shows above average concentration, but not by much, and feels quite smooth and supple to the palate.
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Wine Spectator
A dense red, solidly built and displaying mint, eucalyptus, vanilla and resin flavors, while berry and cherry fruit elements struggle to emerge. Despite its freshness and length, this is locked up tight. Best from 2026 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.