Basarin, Barbaresco DOCG 2018

The Azienda Agricola Sottimano was bought in the 60s by Rino Sottimano and is located in the middle of the Cottà site. In the following years, it was successively extended by the Currá, Fausoni, Basarin and Pajoré crus. Today the winery is run by son Andrea and his sisters Elena and Claudia. Situated in the triangle of Barbaresco, Neive, and Treiso, Sottimano has been working according to biodynamic guidelines for years in order to bottle the character of the five crus as precisely as possible.

The Cru Basarin is a historic vineyard in the Barbaresco area and is located on the border of Neive and Treiso. On a good three hectares, the vines with an average age of 25-60 years stand in a south-western orientation. The wines are enormously complex with a dense structure and considerable depth. 

The fermentation is always spontaneous with their own yeasts, the maceration is usually 25 days and the BSA is also spontaneous in French oak. The wines mature for 24 months in the barrel, 12 months of which on the yeast. The use of wood in winemaking has been modernized with the 2014 vintage, making the wines appear more approachable with immense vibration and depth even in their youth. The wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Medium-bodied ruby red, transparent and clear.

The nose of the 2018 Basarin from Azienda Agricola Sottimano is intense and concentrated with fruity balsamic aromas and immense bass on the nose. Pulsating red fruits such as cordial cherries are further deepened by strong Assam tea and spices such as black cardamom, juniper and thyme, its distinctive smoky notes of tobacco ethereally fueled by citrusy notes of kumquats. This compact conglomerate of aromas presses out of the goblet with solid pressure and makes you want to refill again and again. 

Power meets finesse or Bruce Lee instead of Schwarzenegger. The extract-rich fruit builds up immense pressure on the palate and floats as if on a flying carpet of powerful and tightly woven tannins, accelerated by the vibrating acid nerve. Fleshy and firm, it is underpinned by the brilliantly clear fruit and cool minerality that gives it vibration and tension. Open-hearted and joyful with a fast drinking flow and fruity-ethereal finish.