2019 Paitin, Barbaresco DOCG “Sorì Paitin” Serraboella, Piedmonte, Italy.
The extremely rare, aromatic and beautifully textured Sorì Paitin bottling of Serraboella Barbaresco is a gorgeous Nebbiolo wine with a range of depth, structure and complexity that is quite remarkable for the price, I mean that this wine drinks like a Grand Cru Burgundy for a fraction of the cost, and a huge standout in Paitin’s fine collection of 2019 Barbaresco(s). This wonderfully pure and elegant Barbaresco is slow to open, but that shy side fades away quickly revealing pretty florals, earthy red fruit, dried herbs and laurel before a taut palate of youthful and graceful layers of brandied cherry, damson plum, red currant and blood orange fruits, along with wild mint, a hint of leather, sandalwood, hoisin, baking spices and anise accenting. All of which fold together with excellent detail, nicely tame tannin and an impressive silken vinous feel. While the Paitin Barasin and regular Serraboella are extremely poised and rewarding wines, this one rises above, easily making it my first choice of these new releases and I wouldn’t say no to any of these, I highly recommend chasing this Sorì Paitin Barbaresco bottling down and while drinking very confidently now, I certainly believe it will gain in dramatic fashion over the next 5 to 10 years. The Sorì Paitin comes from mature Nebbiolo vines that, as the winery notes, were planted between 1953 and 1980 and guyot trained, grown on sand and marl stratification called Formazioni di Lequio, which adds to the terroir expression here and makes this Barbaresco very compelling vintage after vintage. This wine is a favorite of collectors and this garnet and ruby 2019 shows off this parcels charm to almost perfection, it deserves your full attention and a meal to do it justice, best to have with rustic and simple cuisine to see of of its nuances.
Barbaresco’s Paitin is based in Bricco di Neive, which is located very near the main Commune of Neive and set on ancient picturesque hillsides covered in vines, mostly Nebbiolo, and up nearly at a 1,000 feet above sea level. The notable Paitin winery was originally started back in 1796, when, as the winery notes, Benedetto Elia bought the estate, but things really got more serious after WWII when a later generation of the Elia family took over and rejuvenated and re-planted the vineyards, with a focus on quality and estate made wines. Paitin today has Giovanni and Silvano Pasquero Elia making the wines here, all sourced from sustainable vineyards farmed with organic and biodynamic methods in the Barbaresco zone. They produce a studied collection of wines, including Barbera, which is a sleeper in the lineup and one I also love and think highly of, plus a Freisa, which I haven’t yet tried, along with a Langhe Nebbiolo, which is a killer bargain, and these small lot Barbaresco offerings, as well as their prized Vecchie Vigne (old vine) Riserva. The Serraboella cru, one of the most prized sites in Barbaresco, is on the warmest slope, it is, as the winery explains, graced with unique soils, mentioned above, and is planted exclusively with Nebbiolo. The Sorì, which means the first place where the snow melts, is blessed with the first winter sun rays and allows for perfect ripening conditions. Paitin ferments and macerates the carefully sorted and de-stemmed Nebbiolo grapes, getting from 3 to 6 weeks in stainless steel, than, after which it finishes its maceration with what the winery calls the ancient technique of the submerged cap, which delivers full extraction of color and flavors. The Sorì Paitin Barbaresco is matured between 18 and 24 months in used wood, a combination of large casks, made of Slavonian and Austrian oak, with an average age of 15 years, to promote transparency, finesse and soften the tannin in the finished wines.
($68 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive