2018 Mate Rosso
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Sottimano's 2018 Matè (Brachetto) is light, perfumed and pretty, with all of the attractive floral, spice and savory notes that are such signatures of this indigenous red grape. On the palate, though, the wine is a bit slender and the tannins are drying. There is no getting past the challenges that heat in 2018 posed for the early-ripening Brachetto.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
There are some very old vines of Brachetto at work here in the 2018 Maté. Upon conception of this product, Andrea's father thought he was buying a vineyard of Dolcetto, but it in fact was Brachetto. It seems to have been a mistake that was not altogether regrettable. This is an old clone of the variety with small clusters and thick skins that is rarely used anymore. This wine pours to a very pale pink color, and the bouquet is accordingly all roses and strawberry, which is kind of strange for a red of this nature, but it seems to have worked out just fine. The curious floral fragrance and dry mouthfeel, along with some notes of exotic spice, could make this oddball wine a nice pairing with spicy Korean barbecue, smoked salmon or even a plain old prosciutto crudo. It spends about 20 days on the skins and then six months on the lees, in steel. The Sottimano family has tried to elongate the maceration times here, which definitely helps bring out the integrity of the aromas. About 3,000 bottles were made.