2021 Paitin Albesani Barbaresco

96+ Points, Gary Walsh (The Wine Front) – “Raspberry, strawberry, peanut shells, nutmeg, cinnamon and spice, kind of juicy, mint and dried flowers. It’s medium-bodied, tight and cool feeling, the acidity is just so lovely here, compact stony tannin, and superb length. The ‘mineral’ feel of it is so appealing. This is a brilliant debut. Beautiful.”

96+ Points, Tom Kline (The Wine Pilot) – “Red apple skin and flesh kick off a bright and lifted aromatic opening, before descending a little into cherry cola, nutmeg, cinnamon and tilled earth. Pops of raspberry and red rose then emerge with air along with subtle white pepper spice and red liquorice. This is so red fruited and bright making for a moreish beginning. The palate follows suit in its bright red fruit and spice aesthetic, though with immense power and structure. The tannins are stacked, powdery and seemingly unabating, fully commanding the mouth and constricting around cranberry, raspberry, baking spices, red cherry, red liquorice. Said tannins are long and enveloping, pulling the fruit and spice through before bright cranberry acidity finally emerges to freshen things up. There’s a wondrous juxtaposition here, between bright, high toned aromas and flavours, and incredibly powerful and architectural structure. This may outlive us all.”

17.5 Jancis Robinson – “Neive. Palish ruby. Subtly fragrant raspberry fruit with a stony, minerally edge. Focused, pure and elegant on the palate with rich yet underlying finely ground, grainy tannins. Strikingly beautiful balance and great length”. (Walter Speller)

The inaugural release from this wonderful cru in Neive. 

Albesani is a much lauded cru in Barbaresco and the home of many of its most famous bottlings with Bruno Giacosa in particular.  

In addition to being a spectacular wine from the wonderful 2021 vintage, this bottling will prove to be a serious collectable as the first release from Paitin from this special vineyard.

We’ve tasted this wine 3 times now, twice from cask & last in May with our Piedmont tourers – who concluded the wine was a real knockout release.