Fausoni Barbaresco DOCG 2023

Wine description for Fausoni Barbaresco DOCG 2023 by Sottimano

Colour & appearance

Transparent ruby red – clear, luminous, with that translucent brightness which reveals a great Nebbiolo even in the glass.

Nose

Fragrant and of exquisite floral character: hollyhocks, mallows, violets, alongside a basket of cherries in every shade. Above them hover ethereal notes of mint, tobacco, leather and a fine orange zest. It opens up astonishingly quickly and generously in the glass.

Palate

Juicy and expansive, with clearly contoured cherry fruit and a spicy frame. The youthful tannins feel finely polished, lending a silky texture alongside vibrant tension. The ripe, well-integrated acidity gives the wine a taut, linear drive – finesse rather than power.

Finish

Long, spicy and fresh, with a persistent aftertaste in which fruit and floral echoes continue to resonate for a long time.

Terroir & origin

The cru Fausoni lies within the commune of Neive, one of the classic Barbaresco villages. The old vines stand on calcareous, rather poor soils with a south-westerly aspect. Rino Sottimano planted many of the vines himself in the 1970s and 80s – today they are fifty to sixty years old, an asset that brings depth to the glass.

Grape variety & vinification

Pure Nebbiolo, spontaneously fermented with wild yeasts. Andrea Sottimano takes his time: a long maceration of up to sixty days – at the point where others have long since pressed off – followed by around 18 to 22 months in wood with only a small proportion of new wood. Bottled without filtration or fining.

Food recommendations

A wine for the classic Piedmontese table: Tajarin with truffle, Brasato al Barbaresco, rack of lamb with a herb crust or simply mushroom risotto. Also a reliable choice with mature hard cheese.

Special features

Within the Sottimano portfolio, Fausoni is the most open-hearted, most floral and most accessible of the five single-vineyard Barbareschi – a wine that does not keep its distance but instead shows itself generously even when young, without forfeiting any substance. Produced by an estate that has farmed organically certified for over forty years and relies on patience rather than intervention in the cellar.