Sottimano Langhe Nebbiolo 2024

Sottimano is a family estate in Neive, founded by Rino Sottimano in the late 1960s and developed with his wife Anna from a small holding in the Cottà vineyard. Today their children Andrea, Elena and Claudia work alongside the family, farming approximately 19 hectares across five important Barbaresco crus: Cottà, Currà, Fausoni, Pajoré and Basarin. The estate has become known for traditionally made, site driven nebbiolo with long macerations, spontaneous fermentations and restrained cellar intervention.

The vineyards are farmed according to certified organic practices, continuing an approach Rino adopted from the estate’s earliest years by avoiding herbicides and synthetic chemicals. Vineyard work focuses on maintaining natural soil balance and biodiversity, with natural treatments used against disease. The Langhe Nebbiolo comes from Basarin in Neive, close to the border with Treiso, where the relatively high elevation and a mix of Sant’Agata fossil marl and sand contribute freshness, aromatic lift and a characteristic spicy quality.

The 2024 is 100% nebbiolo from younger vines in Basarin, approximately 25 years old, essentially fruit grown within the Barbaresco zone but bottled as Langhe Nebbiolo. Fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts, followed by roughly 25 days of maceration on the skins. The wine then undergoes spontaneous malolactic fermentation and about six to eight months of élevage in oak cask. It is bottled without fining or filtration. The shorter élevage compared with Sottimano’s Barbarescos makes the wine more immediately approachable while retaining genuine vineyard character and nebbiolo structure.

The 2024 shows red cherry, cranberry and pomegranate with rose petal, blood orange, mint and subtle exotic spice. The palate is medium bodied and vibrant, with fresh acidity and fine, dusty tannins rather than heavy extraction. Licorice and floral notes carry through the long, savory finish.