2014 Barbaresco Sori Paitin Riserva

The 2014 Barbaresco Vecchie Vigne comes across as a bit dried out and forward, with less textural depth and resonance than is the norm for this wine. The aromatics are promising, but the wine remains quite reticent and never really develops in the glass. Sadly, I am not more enthusiastic about the 2014 than I was last year. I just don't see the complexity or pedigree that are among the signatures of the Vecchie Vigne.

The 2014 Barbaresco Vecchie Vigne is still in cask. It naturally possesses more depth and overall intensity than the two other 2014 Barbarescos in this range. Even so, the Vecchie Vigne comes across as light and lacking its usual textural resonance.

Paitin's 2014 Barbaresco Vecchie Vigne is rich, racy and plush, all signatures of the late harvest. Here, too, the tannins are fully ripe, which gives the wine much of its sensual, layered personality. The 2014 is young, but it is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. A final burst of sweet floral, spice and hard candy notes add the final shades of nuance.