2019 Sottimano Barbaresco Pajore

From Antonio Galloni, Vinous (October 2022): "My tasting at Sottimano was one of the highlights of the time I spent in Barbaresco this year. The 2019‘s are terrific, especially considering the challenges of the year with heavy rains. Organic and sustainable farming practices are generally positive, but they also restrict options for combating disease in the vineyards. In 2019, Sottimano lost as much as 50% of the crop in some parcels. Readers who have not tasted these wines in sometime owe it to themselves to do it, as they are magnificent. Bravo!"

17.5/20 JancisRobinson.com
Lustrous mid ruby. A concentrated raspberry nose that is a little brooding. With aeration, it opens up and shows fantastic depth of fruit with touches of cinnamon bark. Juicy sweet raspberry fruit and finely ground, chewy tannins vie for attention. Really elegant and still quite youthful, so it needs more time. - Walter Speller

94 points, Wine Enthusiast
"Truffle, red berry, rose and sandalwood aromas slowly take shape in the glass. Taut and linear, the palate reveals truffle, dried cherry, orange zest and star anise accompanied by fine-grained, rather drying tannins and fresh acidity. Drink 2027–2034."

93+ points, Vinous
"The Barbaresco Pajorè is dense and quite closed in on itself. Then again, that is Pajorè. There's terrific depth and density here, but not quite the power of some recent releases. That's not a bad thing, as the more restrained style allows the nuance to come through. This is an especially refined edition of the Pajorè. Today, the Pajorè is quite compact and a bit of a bruiser, but there's terrific fruit intensity that just needs time to blossom." - Antonio Galloni