The Wines of This Week's Tasting:
Winemaker Andrea Sottimano
September 10, 2024
Sottimano Rossos
2023 Mate Dry Brachetto
The Brachetto grape is made chiefly sweet and fizzy, but the quality of the fruit in Sottimano's Mate vineyard is so good that they can make it a dry, lively wine meant to be enjoyed young. Goes great with cured meats for antipasti.
Aroma: Notes of crushed strawberry, rose, hibiscus, rhubarb, redcurrant, and cranberry, Mouth: a soft texture with fine, almost absent tannins and floral finish. Very Good Plus $21, Case $17.99
2022 Bric Del Salto Dolcetto D’Alba
"Fabulous. It's one of the most refined editions of this wine I can remember tasting. It's as if Sottimano has taken all the old-school intensity of Dolcetto, polished the edges, and put everything back together. Black cherry, licorice, leather, and cloves build nicely. The 2022 saw nearly three weeks on the skins and was aged in steel. It is an incredibly distinctive wine." – Antonio Galloni, Vinous" Very Good Plus $17.99, Case $15.29
2022 Pairolero Barbera D’Alba
Pairolero is a blend of two Barbera vineyards in Barbaresco. Pairs well with a full range of foods. Serve with white meats, light red meat dishes, bright tomato-based sauces, cheeses, olives, cured meats and more.
"Tasted from barrel as a very young wine that has just finished its malolactic fermentation. Dense and pliant, with tremendous fruit purity, the 2022 is shaping up to be a jewel. I tasted it from cask before any racking and without any sulfur additions at all. It is such an impressive young wine. – Antonio Galloni, Vinous" Very Good Plus $28.99, Case $24.99
2022 Langhe Nebbiolo
Crisp and vibrant due to Basarin's terroir and the vineyard's high altitude. It has spicy notes and outstanding complexity and structure, typical of the area between Neive and Treiso.
"Barbaresco in all but name because of its slightly earlier release. Crushed flowers, spice, tobacco, cedar, and bright Nebbiolo acids are nicely delineated. In 2022, the Langhe Nebbiolo has a bit more mid-palate richness than in most years, but that is not a bad thing for a wine meant to be enjoyed over the near and medium term. – Antonio Galloni, Vinous" Very Good Plus- Excellent $32, Case $26.99
2021 Fausoni Barbaresco
Fausoni, the first of Andrea's single parcel crus, is made from 45-year-old vines on sandy soils, which makes it open-knit, generous, and accessible.
"For readers who appreciate the more linear, old-school style of Nebbiolo. Chalk, white pepper, mint, tobacco, cedar, blood orange, and sweet red cherry fruit all race across the palate. The 2021 won't be ready any time soon, but it is an absolutely stellar wine in the making. – Antonio Galloni, Vinous" Excellent -Outstanding $96, Case $82
2019 Curra Barbaresco
Released one year later than their other Barbarescos, the Currá brings the intensity up a notch, loaded with class, pedigree, and energy.
"A gorgeous, super-classic, austere wine driven by bright acids and veins of supporting tannin that lend exuberance. It's a wine for readers who appreciate Barbarescos of vibrancy and energy. White pepper, orange peel, sweet red fruit, mint, and chalk linger. "– Antonio Galloni, Vinous" Outstanding Limited $107, Case $91
Richard Harmer
The Sottimano Everyday Case
3 each Brachetto, Dolcetto, Barbera Nebbiolo $255, $21.25
Or your choice of any twelve wines at their case prices
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: order@federalwine.com
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- Len Rothenberg
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