2021 Barbaresco
Andrea Sottimano's assessment of the 2021 in Barbaresco is quoted by Monica Larner in her article about the vintage for RobertParker.com: – 'This is one of the best vintages ever. There was plenty of snow in the winter like you see in the best vintages. The peak summer months never got too hot, and we had to wear sweaters when eating outdoors at night. Harvest started late on my birthday, October 24th... a new kind of classic vintage.'
Focusing in on our producers Cigliuti & Sottimano, it becomes very evident that both have created one of their finest vintages to date. Indeed, both have achieved their highest scores yet from Antonio Galloni. Having tasted them ourselves, we would heartily agree. They are stunning!
We're also highlighting the last two vintages of Sottimano's top Cru, 'Currá', which is always released later than the others. Monica Larner's note on the 2019 is as enthusiastic as you'd expect: – "Released later than the other Barbarescos in this portfolio, the Sottimano 2019 Barbaresco Currá brings the intensity up a notch and not just in terms of dark fruit and cassis. The wine's mineral profile is more pronounced and, in careful moderation, so is the oak toast and spice delivery. There are more distinct elements here, all played forward with great intensity, that ultimately reach a place of excellent balance and endurance. Sadly, only 2,000 bottles emerged from this 1.6-hectare vineyard site in Neive. This is a portfolio of excellent wines from a certified organic producer in Neive, but Sottimano's 2019 Barbaresco Currá stands out as exceptional."
If you have any questions about the wines or would like to place an order, please email your account manager or privateclients@leaandsandeman.co.uk.
REVIEWS
Antonio Galloni – Vinous
'Now that most of the wines have been released, the early promise of 2021 is no longer a question of potential but of reality. These are vivid, exceptionally beautiful wines that show the heights Nebbiolo can reach.'
Monica Larner – RobertParker.com
'The 2021 vintage of Barolo and Barbaresco is one for collectors. This excellent vintage has the fruit intensity, acidity and tannic structure to withstand long cellar aging. The wines offer beautiful elegance and complexity today and promising evolution for tomorrow. The 2021 vintage can be grouped with 2001, 2010 and 2016 as one of the best since the start of the new millennium.'
Cigliuti
Sisters Claudia and Silvia Cigliuti took over the running of this vineyard from their father Renato. He was the first member of the family to begin bottling his own wine, back in 1964, roughly the same time as other pioneers in the region like Giacosa, but the family can trace its roots on this land back to the late eighteenth century.Most of the vineyard and the winery is on the Serraboella hill, looking over Neive from the east, and it is the Barbaresco Serraboella which is the flagship wine of the estate. This hill, composed of calcareous marl and tufa soils, gives classic wines which combine the textural finesse of clay and the length and longevity of wines from limestone. The vineyards are tended by the family, by hand, with low yields to ensure full ripeness every year.
2021 BARBARESCO Serraboella Cigliuti
The 2021 Serraboella from Cigliuti has aromas of iris, grilled herb, forest floor and hazelnut. Showing an earthy charm, the palate features dried cherry, truffle and salted game while grainy tanninsThe 2021 Serraboella from Cigliuti has aromas of iris, grilled herb, forest floor and hazelnut. Showing an earthy charm, the palate features dried cherry, truffle and salted game while grainy tannins grip the finish. Give the tannins a few more years to unclench then drink sooner rather than later to capture the remaining fruit richness. Abv: 15% Rating: 90 Kerin O'Keefe, kerinokeefe.com (May 2025)
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In Bond
2021 BARBARESCO Vie Erte Cigliuti
Cracked peppercorn, camphor, violet and new leather aromas mingle together along with fruit tart on the 2021 Bricco di Neive Vie Erte. The palate is bold and delicious, doling out succulent blackCracked peppercorn, camphor, violet and new leather aromas mingle together along with fruit tart on the 2021 Bricco di Neive Vie Erte. The palate is bold and delicious, doling out succulent black cherry, raspberry compote, vanilla and mocha before closing on notes of truffle and hazelnut. Firm, velvety tannins provide support. Drink 2029–2036. Abv: 15% Drinking range: 2029 - 2036 Rating: 94 Kerin O'Keefe, kerinokeefe.com (May 2025)
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Sottimano
Andrea Sottimano and his two sisters, Elena and Claudia are now firmly at the helm here and this exquisite estate continues to make finer and finer wines - some of the very best in Barbaresco. This sixteen hectare estate is based in the Cotta' region of Barbaresco, and the Sottimano family have over the years bought outstanding vineyards in the 'crus' of Currà, Cottà, Fausoni and Pajore. In the vineyard they work organically and limit yields to increase quality. The winemaking is as low-intervention as possible, using only natural yeasts and then the wines are bottled without filtering or fining. All of these 'crus' are given exactly the same élevage, so as to allow the individual 'terroirs' to express their character. Terroir expression is the target here - and these amazing wines are as much an education as a joy to drink.There are five different crus - each with very specific attributes where they produce their distinctly different Barbarescos. The latest edition is Basarin, with a mixture of clay, limestone and sand. It sits at about four hundred metres above sea level. It makes for wines that are always very elegant, refined, tannins are silky and softer, Basarin tends to be the most approachable of all the wines.
Fausoni, on sand and clay, makes wines that are always very elegant - mint, liquorice and little red fruits. This is in the historical part of Neive.
Cottà, on limestone with clay is one of the oldest cru in Barbaresco, the family's vines are very old here (fifty years and older) and the colour of the wine is just a little bit lighter than other vineyards (because of the clay), but they have a very distinctive nose of dark fruits and mint, a great elegance and mineral tannins.
Pajore is almost entirely on limestone with just a little clay. This is the highest vineyard of all, at 420 metres above sea level. The vines are very old, and it is always the most mineral and elegant of the four Barbarescos. Limestone brings into the wine a great purity of fruit, a distinctive aroma of spices and tobacco (cigar box) and a very unusual quality of tannins, firm but very mineral.
2021 BARBARESCO Pajoré Sottimano
The 2021 Barbaresco Pajorè has shut down massively since I tasted it last year. Dried herbs, menthol, incense, game and tobacco infuse the palate with tremendous complexity. Readers will find anThe 2021 Barbaresco Pajorè has shut down massively since I tasted it last year. Dried herbs, menthol, incense, game and tobacco infuse the palate with tremendous complexity. Readers will find an austere, classically built Barbaresco for the cellar. Time in the glass brings out the natural breadth and structure of Pajorè. Quite simply, this is an archetype. What a wine. Drinking range: 2026 - 2041 Rating: 96+ Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Sept 2024)
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2021 BARBARESCO Fausoni Sottimano
The 2021 Barbaresco Fausoni is bright, nervy and finely cut. Crushed rocks, white pepper, incense, red fruit, pink grapefruit and orange peel all scream out of the glass. Nervy and sinewy, with tonsThe 2021 Barbaresco Fausoni is bright, nervy and finely cut. Crushed rocks, white pepper, incense, red fruit, pink grapefruit and orange peel all scream out of the glass. Nervy and sinewy, with tons of top-end brightness, the Fausoni is a rock star. But it's also a wine for readers who appreciated the more linear, classically austere style of Barbaresco. Drinking range: 2026 - 2041 Rating: 96+ Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Sept 2024)
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2021 BARBARESCO Cottá Sottimano
Neive. Just mid ruby. Complex minerally nose with hints of red fruit. Sappy red fruit that is still embryonic. Fresh and fluid palate with lots of gravelly tannins on the finish. Still in its infancyNeive. Just mid ruby. Complex minerally nose with hints of red fruit. Sappy red fruit that is still embryonic. Fresh and fluid palate with lots of gravelly tannins on the finish. Still in its infancy but showing real class. Drinking range: 2026 - 2036 Rating: 17.5 Walter Speller, www.jancisrobinson.com (Aug 2024)
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2021 BARBARESCO Basarin Sottimano
Andrea Sottimano says 2021 was one of the best vintages he has seen. There was a lot of snow during the winter that created abundant water reserves lasting throughout the summer. It was aAndrea Sottimano says 2021 was one of the best vintages he has seen. There was a lot of snow during the winter that created abundant water reserves lasting throughout the summer. It was a late-ripening vintage, with cool nights, and Andrea harvested until his birthday on October 24th. The 2021 Barbaresco Basarin is expressive and complex with very precise aromas of cassis, navel orange, pulverized stone and licorice root. The tannins are chalky, and the wine offers a pretty sense of lingering sweetness. Winemaking is traditional, with up to three months of submerged cap and aging in botti. Fruit comes from a three-hectare site in Neive with old vines on white soils. Production is 9,000 bottles. Drinking range: 2026 - 2042 Rating: 95 Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate (www.robertparker.com) (Sept 2023)
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