Sottimano Barbera D’Alba Superiore Pairolero 2024

Sottimano is a family estate in Neive, founded by Rino Sottimano in the late 1960s and today run with his children Andrea, Elena and Claudia. The family farms about 19 hectares, centered on important Barbaresco crus including Cottà, Currà, Fausoni, Pajoré and Basarin. Their style favors long macerations, spontaneous fermentations and restrained cellar work, producing wines with clarity and vineyard character rather than heavy extraction or obvious oak.

The vineyards are farmed according to certified organic practices, continuing Rino’s early commitment to avoiding herbicides and synthetic chemicals. Pairolero comes from barbera vineyards in Neive, including Basarin and San Cristoforo. Basarin’s pale calcareous soils, threaded with sand, tend to give the wines freshness, mineral tension and distinctive balsamic and spicy notes.

The 2024 Pairolero is 100% barbera. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, followed by approximately 25 to 30 days of skin maceration. Malolactic fermentation takes place in wood, and the wine undergoes roughly nine months of élevage in cask before bottling without fining or filtration. The 2024 vintage produced a particularly elegant and linear expression, with less weight than warmer years and an emphasis on freshness, perfume and acidity.

The wine shows black raspberry, sour cherry and purple fruit with violet, spice and a cool, stony character. The palate is bright and energetic, with barbera’s naturally vivid acidity, supple tannins and concentrated fruit without heaviness. The finish is tart, floral and mineral, making this a particularly fresh and precise vintage of Pairolero.