Sottimano Barbaresco Basarin 2018
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & -
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Balsamic aromas of camphor mingle with earthy whiffs of forest floor, new leather, cedar and wild berries on this elegant, full-bodied red. The tight, linear palate is delicious and loaded with personality, delivering ripe Morello cherry, mocha, licorice and an earthy note of truffle framed in firm, fine-grained tannins. Fresh acidity keeps it well-balanced. Drink 2026–2038.
-
Wine & Spirits
The Sottimano family’s Basarin plot sits near the top of the hill on a south/southwest-facing slope. Its vines yielded a firmly structured wine in 2018 that is initially dark and brooding, requiring a few hours of air to unfold with juicy red- and black-cherry tones that buzz with warm spice notes. The wine seems to gain energy on the long and balanced finish, indicating good cellaring potential.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Sottimano 2018 Barbaresco Basarin shows tart cherry fruit and plum backed by lovely layers of crushed mineral, iron ore, spice and crushed flowers. The wine reveals an inner brightness or tartness that tastes terrific next the more nuanced character of the Nebbiolo grape. Basarin shows power and elegance in equal measure, and that is never an easy feat for any winemaker to accomplish.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Located in the southeast of Neive, the 2018 Barbaresco Basarin has spiced aromatics of tobacco, confected cherry, and anise. The palate is lifted with tangy cranberry, dried violets, and clove spice, and fine tannins emerge on the finish. Drink 2022-2036.
-
Wine Spectator
Steeped plum, cherry, eucalyptus, tar and mineral flavors are backed by beefy tannins in this streamlined red. A core of ripe fruit plies the middle, before the tannins exert their grip on the finish. Muscular, yet balanced and long. Best from 2025.
Other Vintages
2020-
Suckling
James - Vinous
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & -
Suckling
James
Andrea Sottimano and his father Rino produce wines of outstanding quality from thirteen lovingly cared for hectares in the Cotta, Curra, Fausoni, Pajore and Basarin crus in the Treiso and Neive townships. Their Barbarescos are elegant, evocative, subtle yet hearty. To taste these crus side-by-side is to reply with a resounding yes to skeptics of terroir that question whether differences of only 200 meters does matter! Their approach if one of minimal intervention: indigenous yeasts, no fining or filtering. Each of their four crus Barbarescos are given the same treatment to allow the uniqueness of each cru to express itself. Fermentation is done in oak, of which about 30% is new, followed by 18-20 months in neutral barriques. Every year they produce around 85,000 bottles.
Sottimano is firmly convinced that everything in the vineyards should be done in a serious and respectful way, with the only target of preserving the delicate balance between soils and the ecosystem.
Starting from the begin, together with many other wineries of this region, they have begun to fight the traditional diseases of the vines with natural, environmentally friendly products, and to avoid any kind of herbicides and pesticides
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
A wine that most perfectly conveys the spirit and essence of its place, Barbaresco is true reflection of terroir. Its star grape, like that in the neighboring Barolo region, is Nebbiolo. Four townships within the Barbaresco zone can produce Barbaresco: the actual village of Barbaresco, as well as Neive, Treiso and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio.
Broadly speaking there are more similarities in the soils of Barbaresco and Barolo than there are differences. Barbaresco’s soils are approximately of the same two major soil types as Barolo: blue-grey marl of the Tortonion epoch, producing more fragile and aromatic characteristics, and Helvetian white yellow marl, which produces wines with more structure and tannins.
Nebbiolo ripens earlier in Barbaresco than in Barolo, primarily due to the vineyards’ proximity to the Tanaro River and lower elevations. While the wines here are still powerful, Barbaresco expresses a more feminine side of Nebbiolo, often with softer tannins, delicate fruit and an elegant perfume. Typical in a well-made Barbaresco are expressions of rose petal, cherry, strawberry, violets, smoke and spice. These wines need a few years before they reach their peak, the best of which need over a decade or longer. Bottle aging adds more savory characteristics, such as earth, iron and dried fruit.