Paitin Barbaresco Serraboella ‘Sori Paitin’ 2021
The Wine
'Serraboella' is a famed cru of Neive, the jewel of which is the Sori Paitin cru. Neive Barbareschi are typically more powerful than the other villages of Barbaresco. In fact, Luca Pasquero-Elia from Paitin describes the Serraboella & Sori Paitin wines as being very similar to the wines of the Montestefano cru in Barbaresco – a cru known for being among the most “Barolo-like”.
The soil at Serraboella is a calcareous white clay with sandstone. Serraboella is a particularly steep hill facing south-southwest at 280 to 320 meters in elevation. From it, the Pasquero-Elia family produces three Barbaresco – a Serraboella bottling from the larger part of their Serraboella parcel, a Sori Paitin bottling from the most sun-exposed parcel (Sori in Piemontese means the spot of the hill most exposed to the sun – where the snow melts first) and an old vine Riserva from the same parcel only in the best vintages.
97 Pts Wine Spectator 'A mix of plum, cherry, juniper, eucalyptus and earth flavors highlights this dense red. Borders on powerful, yet with a supple texture and vibrant acidity keeping everything well-defined and driving the extensive finish. Beautifully balanced and complex. Best from 2028 through 2046. 917 cases made, 220 cases (imported into the USA).'
18/20 Walter Speller, Jancusrobinson.com 'Neive. Lustrous mid ruby. Savoury, saline notes over compact, pure red fruit. On the palate the balance between the succulent acidity, the cool but concentrated raspberry fruit and the crunchy tannins is simply spectacular.
96+ Pts Wine Pilot 'Smoke, savoury parmesan cheese and graphite notes lead a brooding and savoury aromatic opening here, before dried cranberry and dark cherry cut through. The latter notes build with air with the addition of raspberry compote, red apple skin, decaying red rose, gentle tar and nutmeg spice. Some roast tomato umami with air. The palate is intense and powerful though tensile and bright, with sweet red rose, raspberry, dark cherry, cinnamon wrapped up in firm, chalky tannins and red apple skin acidity to great length. Another higher end cuvée from Paitin that masterfully balances freshness, lift and complexity with immense structure and power. Not a thing weighed down. A beautiful wine.'
The Details
Variety - Nebbiolo
Country - Italy
Region - Piemonte
Sub Region - Barbaresco
Extra - Cork
Year - 2021
Volume - 750ml
About the Wine Maker 
The Paitin winery, owned by the Pasquero-Elia family, was established in 1796 when Benedetto Elia purchased the farmhouse, wine cellar, and surrounding vineyards from Luigi Pelissero. Benedetto’s son Giuseppe acquired the underground cellar and extended their vineyard holdings to 17 hectares. In 1893, the first Barbaresco Sori Paitin was produced and in 1898 the winery began exporting the wine commercially. The next important phase of the winery was in 1965 when Secondo Pasquero-Elia built a new wine cellar at the property and thoroughly replanted the vineyards by massale selection. Secondo Pasquero-Elia, sadly passed away in 2020 but his sons, Giovanni and Silvano are currently running the winery along with Giovanni’s son Luca.
In the vineyards, there is the utmost respect for nature and the winery farms organically (fully certified as of 2019). Silvano Pasquero-Elia, who mainly oversees vineyard work, has also been incorporating some biodynamic techniques though there are no plans for official certification. In the cellar, the winemaking follows a traditional protocol. That includes long macerations (3 to 8 weeks for the Barbareschi) and aging the wines in large, neutral botti, mainly Austrian from the famed cooperage Stockinger. In fact, for those with a long memory, the winery flirted briefly with some modern winemaking techniques in the 1990’s, though they didn’t like the results and returned relatively quickly to their classical roots.
We are thrilled to have these beautiful, traditional wines in our portfolio – they are benchmarks for the village of Neive and treats for any lover of traditional Nebbiolo!
