Cottá 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 Cottà is the winery's home vineyard and is located between the municipalities of Neive and Barbaresco and covers about 2.8 hectares with a south-western exposure. The vines are between 50 and 70 years old and combine the fleshy, dense polyphenols of the Neive sites with the strong tannin structure of Barbaresco. 

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.

Ruby red, transparent and clear.

The 2018 Cottà from Azienda Agricola Sottimano is as complex on the nose as a Rubics cube. No matter how you look at it, the initial fruity aromas of raspberries and cherries are soon complemented by spicy notes of herbs such as laurel, thyme and cedar wood in the top notes. Aromas of dark tobacco, black tea and cherry jam hit the contemporary notch called umami and make the lips purse towards the glass.

The nose is initially fruity and clear, until its youthfully impetuous nature catches up with it. The delicate fruit and its transparent nature belie its tightly laced tannin corset, which grooms him neatly. Accurately parted, it has a proper body tension, everything sits crease-free in the right place. The tannin, like sandpaper of the finest grain, gives it a noble bitter tone reminiscent of dark chocolate. The acidity is optimally packed into the overall package of this fine Barbaresco with a jovial nature and best manners.