BARBARESCO

2013 Cottá Sottimano

IN STOCK
Grapes Nebbiolo
Colour Red
Origin Italy, Piedmont
Village Barbaresco
ABV 13.5%
Vineyard Cottá

Less pronounced but more concentrated cherry and strawberry fruit, nice density, mint, herbs. Slightly fleshier on the palate greater fruit ripeness, cherry and plum, floral with spice and mint on the long finish. L&S (Apr 2016)

*Case price discount: Mix any 12 bottles of wine (or 9 litre equivalent) or 6 bottles of Champagne, Spirits, Sweet Wine or Fortified (4.5 litres) to get the discounted 'case price' for each bottle.

Robust, tough, reticent nose of raspberry fruit. Rich, full-bodied and concentrated style, but enlivened by lively acidity and spiciness. There are ample tannins, but this is fresh, zesty and long. Drinking range: 2019 - 2035 Rating: 90 Stephen Brook, Decanter.com (Jul 2017)

The 2013 Barbaresco Cottà is super-finessed in this vintage. Explosive and powerful yet also super-refined, the 2013 is infused with the essence of dark fruit, violet, lavender and menthol, with elegant, silky tannins that wrap around the succulent mid-palate and finish. Drinking range: 2019 - 2033 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Oct 2016)

As always, the 2013 Barbaresco Cottà is a wine of amplitude and breadth. Sweet dark cherry, pomegranate, mint, spices and leather meld together effortlessly. The Cottà has a bit less delineation and nuance than some of the other wines in the range, but more immediacy and mid-palate juiciness. As the years have passed, so many wines in this lineup have improved, but the Cottà has remained pretty much static, for better or worse. Drinking range: 2018 - 2033 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Dec 2015)

Sottimano

The next generation of Andrea, Elena and Claudia Sottimano are now at the helm here and this exquisite estate continues to make better and better wines - some of the finest 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, Pajore and Basarin. In the vineyard they work organically and aim to limit yields. The winemaking is as low-intervention as possible, using only natural yeasts and then bottling 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, is at about four hundred metres above sea level. This produces the estate's Langhe Nebbiolo, which is basically 'village Barbaresco', as the vines are very young (10-15 years old). It makes for wines that are always very elegant, refined, tannins are silky and softer, nuanced of spices and herbs (eucalyptus).

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.

Currà, on clay and limestone, is one of the smallest cru of the whole appellation, wines are always very intense and powerful, hard-bodied and with good tannins. Hints of spices and smoke are characteristics of this area.

Cottà, on limestone with clay is one of the oldest cru in Barbaresco, vines are always very old here (fifty years and older) and the colours are 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.

This wine isn't currently part of a mixed case, but you can always browse our full selection of mixed cases here.
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