Basarin Barbaresco DOCG 2023 1500ml Magnum

Powerful, dense and linear. Already on the nose, an expansive, multi-faceted fruit unfolds, joined by dark notes of tobacco and leather, sweet wood and sandalwood, and a fine woody spice. Above it hover dried rose and violet petals and a bold smoky trace.

The Basarin vineyard lies in the commune of Neive. The old vines, facing southwest, grow at 250 to 300 metres elevation on soils shaped by limestone and clay with some sandy portions. Rino Sottimano, who acquired the estate in Cottà in the late 1960s, planted most of the vineyards himself in the 1970s and 80s; many vines are now fifty to sixty years old. Basarin is one of five single vineyards that Andrea, Elena and Claudia Sottimano cultivate across almost twenty hectares. When the vintage calls for it, the grapes here are declassified to Langhe Nebbiolo.

Pure Nebbiolo, spontaneously fermented with wild yeasts from the vineyard and cellar, with long maceration on the skins. The wine then matures for around 18 to 22 months in wood and is bottled unfiltered and unfined. In the vineyard, the estate has worked without herbicides or synthetic fertilisers for over forty years; the grass between the rows is mowed two to three times a year, and every second row is ploughed in autumn.

The attack is powerful, with dense extract, a rich bass note and good vibration. The close-knit tannins are interwoven with the ripe, vibrant acidity and set the direction: straight ahead. Bitter chocolate and cherry carry the long finish. 14.5% vol., dry.

The 1500 ml magnum gives this young Barbaresco time for a slower, finer development. Bottled unfiltered and unfined, it arrives in the glass with its vibrancy and occasional unpredictability.