2016 Barbaresco Sori Paitin Riserva
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Vecchie Vigne is every bit as impressive as it was last year, except I clearly need to update my drinking window, as the wine is nowhere near ready to drink! Licorice, sage, menthol and cinnamon add shades of complexity to a core of dark-fleshed fruit. Persistent and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2016 has a ton to offer.
Critic scores
James Suckling
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Complex nose, offering spicy dried red fruit, musty bark, forest floor and dried flowers. Full-bodied with a silky start. The tannins are still firm, but well polished and act more as a carriage for the substantial fruit than a hindrance. Super Barbaresco. So tempting now, if you like chewy nebbiolo, but best in 2024 and onwards.
The Paitin 2016 Barbaresco Serraboella Riserva Sorì Paitin Vecchie Vigne is a gorgeous wine. The bouquet is especially redolent of dried rose and potpourri, and the dark fruit offers highlights of baked cherry or peach. This amazing crescendo of new releases from Paitin goes one impressive step further, pushing the boundaries with this promising and cellar-worthy new release. There is a point of bitter almond on the close, but the mouthfeel is otherwise silky and very fine in texture. Exactly 5,281 bottles were released.
The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Vecchie Vigne possesses quite a bit of depth and yet retains the classic mid-weight style that is typical of the Paitin wines these days. Black cherry, licorice, spice, underbrush, sage and menthol build as this potent, ample Barbaresco shows off its considerable allure. The long, substantial finish adds to my optimism. At this point, the 2016 is pretty closed and the tannins are formidable, but that is not surprising given the style of the year. The 2016 is a step in the right direction for an estate that has had some ups and downs in the recent past.