Winemaker Notes
Pairolero is a blend of two different vineyards of Barbera in Neive: Basarin and San Cristoforo. The Barbera Pairolero has a dark, inky red, with loads of red fruits, minerals and a touch of graphite on the nose with a long, rich taste in which the fruity components and the spicy notes are well balanced by a good acidity.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Sottimano 2022 Barbera d'Alba Superiore Pairolero was born in a vintage that was quite problematic for Andrea Sottimano, especially in terms of his Nebbiolo. He decided not to make his single-vineyard Barbarescos in 2022. Barbera, however, is a different animal that reacts well to hot vintages. This wine reveals a dark character with baked plum and blackberry coulis. It's quite a mouthful and pleasantly chewy in texture.
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Vinous
Tasted from barrel, the 2022 Barbera d'Alba Superiore Pairolero is a very young wine that has just finished its malolactic fermentation. Dense and pliant, with tremendous fruit purity, the 2022 is shaping up to be a jewel. I tasted it from cask, before any racking and without any sulfur additions at all. It is such an impressive young wine.
Barrel Sample: 90-92
Friendly and approachable, Barbera produces wines in a wide range of styles, from youthful, fresh and fruity to serious, structured and age-worthy. Piedmont is the most famous source of Barbera; those from Asti and Alba garner the most praise. Barbera actually can adapt to many climates and enjoys success in some New World regions. Somm Secret—In the past it wasn’t common or even accepted to age Barbera in oak but today both styles—oaked and unoaked—abound and in fact most Piedmontese producers today produce both styles.
An historic village situated right in between the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, Alba is also the name for the larger wine region surrounding the village.
In a sense, “Alba” is a catch-all phrase, and includes the declassified Nebbiolo wines made in Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the Nebbiolo grown just outside of these regions’ borders. In fact, Nebbiolo d’Alba is a softer, less tannic and more fruit-forward wine ready to drink within just a couple years of bottling. It is a great place to start if you want to begin to understand the grape. Likewise, the even broader category of Langhe Nebbiolo offers approachable and value-driven options as well.
Barbera, planted alongside Nebbiolo in the surrounding hills, and referred to as Barbera d’Alba, takes on a more powerful and concentrated personality compared to its counterparts in Asti.
Dolcetto is ubiquitous here and, known as Dolcetto d'Alba, can be found casually served alongside antipasti on the tables of Alba’s cafes and wine bars.
Not surprisingly, given its location, Alba is recognized as one of Italy’s premiere culinary destinations and is the home of the fall truffle fair, which attracts visitors from worldwide every year.