2016 Barbaresco Basarin
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Tasting notes
Neive. Tasted blind. Mid ruby with bricky rim. Ripe open-knit nose with notes of cherry pie. Ripe and easy-going on the palate and already quite approachable, except for the considerable amount of firm tannins that dominate the finish for now. It seems the fruit is already more evolved than the tannins. (WS)
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The Basarin vineyard was badly damaged by hail in April 2017, but we have this beautiful vintage to focus on instead. The Sottimano 2016 Barbaresco Basarin is a contained and elegant expression with sharp intensity and defined aromas. You get wild fruit, spice, balsam herb and crushed mineral, all pretty much in equal measure. The wine flexes its muscle, adding volume and weight with each swirl of the glass. It shows energy and fluid movements. Sottimano farms a three-hectare plot in Basarin, in Neive but near the border with Treiso, with 50- to 60-year-old vines. Some 5,000 bottles were made.
The 2016 Barbaresco Basarin is elegant, perfumed and gracious. Sweet dark cherry, lavender, spice and mint all grace this nuanced, understated Barbaresco from Sottimano. The Basarin shows a decidedly aromatic, finessed expression of Neive. The 2016 has shut down a bit since I tasted it last year, but that should not be an issue, as it won't be released until 2020.
The 2016 Barbaresco Basarin is bold, rich and expansive on the palate, with striking depth and tons of textural resonance. The dark, spiced flavors are typical of Barbarescos from Neive. Creamy, silky and inviting, the Basarin offers tremendous near and medium term appeal. More importantly, the 2016 is several notches more interesting than the 2015.