2016 Barbaresco Fausoni Vigna del Salto
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Barbaresco Fausoni is another superb wine in this lineup of 2016 Barbarescos from the Sottimano family. Bright floral and citrus overtones give the 2016 a vibrant, chiseled feel. Sweet red/purplish berry fruit, blood orange, spice, menthol rose petal and lavender are some of the many notes that flesh out in this super-expressive, mid-weight Barbaresco from Sottimano. Aromatically lifted, dense on the palate and also very structured, the 2016 is a very complete Fausoni. The 2016 finishes with tremendous persistence and a classic sense of austerity that is compelling.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Delicious, lifted notes of incense and candlewax envelop dried rose petals and cedar. Tannic and structured, full-bodied and powerful, this remains an elegant Barbaresco with a sheen of iridescent acidity and a buffed, polished texture. Drink from 2021.
The Fausoni zone provides sandy and clay soils, and you get more power here than from the other locations. These vines are 35 to 40 years old, and the 2016 Barbaresco Fausoni lets fly those menthol notes that are so characteristic of this vineyard in Neive. Slightly more balsamic in its aromatic profile than the other Barbarescos, this expression of Nebbiolo, sitting sur lies for two years, shows a very different tannic feel in a wine that offers surprising freshness and purity. Those minty Neive notes, its direct and linear nature, plus the very precise and sharply managed tannins make this cru a winner in my book. Some 6,000 bottles were made.
Neive. Tasted blind. Mid ruby. Serious, savoury nose that is still a little closed. Brooding and still a little compact and firm on the palate, but with a succulent, tightly knit finish with persistent, sandpapery tannins. Very youthful and solidly built. (WS)