2009 Barbaresco Pajè Vecchie Viti

Luca Roagna has done a fabulous job with his 2009 Barbarescos. Roagna is among the last producers to bottle, so these are the current releases. I don't see the 2009s as long-term agers, especially by this house's standards, but they sure are beautiful today. Now that Roagna has moved into his new, cavernous digs in Castiglione Falletto he has the freedom and ability to make different choices than in the past. One of the big changes here is that the wines are going to be spending less time in oak. As the estate's fans know, at times these wines could be a bit advanced upon release. Roagna is taking steps to keep as much freshness in his wines as possible, which is a huge plus. Readers can look forward to a new Barbaresco from Faset with the 2013 vintage, while Albesani and Gallina are scheduled to enter the range with 2014. It's great to see a producer with so much raw ambition.