2012 Barbaresco Sorì Paitin

Paitin's 2012 and 2013 Barbarescos are terrific. The 2013s are brisk and energetic, which is to say very much in the style of the year. In addition to the two wines reviewed here, Paitin will also release a Riserva, which I did not taste, as it had been racked just prior to my visit. The 2012s show the personality of a year with warmer than average temperatures and a cool end of season. Paitin did not bottle their top of the line Vecchie Vigne, but chose to use that wine to improve the quality of their Sorì Paitin. The estate's Barbaresco Serra remains one of the most gracious, open-knit Barbarescos for near-term drinking. It's great to see the Pasquero-Elia back at the top of their game.

Giovanni Pasquero-Elia describes 2012 as a year with higher average temperatures than 2011, but with a cooler September, echoing comments I heard elsewhere. The just-bottled 2011s are rich, ample wines. Yields are down, partly because of the warm final phase of ripening, which caused some dehydration. Paitin's 2012s are a bit more slender than the 2011s and currently show lovely brightness. The qualitative improvements at Paitin over the last few years continue to be notable, something that was driven home when I tasted the 2003 Barbaresco Sorì Paitin Vigne Vecchie, a wine that has little in common with the wines that are being made here today. Paitin makes three Barbarescos, all from estate vineyards in the Serraboella district within Bricco di Neive, itself a subdivision of Neive.