Cottá Barbaresco DOCG 2018

A finely structured Barbaresco with a youthfully impetuous nature: clear, delicate fruit carried by a tannic frame that gives the wine tension and ageing potential. Dry, 14.5% vol.

The Cottà cru is the home vineyard of Azienda Agricola Sottimano, lying between the villages of Neive and Barbaresco: around 2.8 hectares, southwest-facing, planted with vines 50 to 70 years old that yield dense polyphenols and a powerful tannic structure. Rino Sottimano bought the estate in the 1960s; today Andrea, Elena and Claudia run the operation, which has worked to biodynamic principles for years.

Pure Nebbiolo, fermented spontaneously with native yeasts, typically 25 days on the skins, with malolactic fermentation also occurring spontaneously in French oak. 24 months of barrel ageing, 12 of them on the lees, 15% new oak, the rest in second- to fourth-fill barrels. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The nose opens with raspberry and cherry, then turns spicy: bay leaf, thyme and cedarwood up front, with dark tobacco, black tea and cherry preserve beneath, lending umami-laden depth. The entry stays fruit-forward and clean until the tannin takes hold, fine-grained and taut, with a noble bitter note reminiscent of dark chocolate. The acidity sits well integrated within the body.

With tagliatelle and ragù, grilled sardines, or white bean cream with boiled dandelion greens.

The oak regime was revised starting with the 2014 vintage; since then the wines have shown their vibrancy and depth even in youth. The vineyard has been farmed without herbicides or synthetic fertilisers for over forty years.