BARBARESCO
2015 Cottá Sottimano
Light bricky red. More mature undergrowth-like aromas than on the 2019; still with red fruits but more dried than fresh. A suggestion of cherry liqueur yet without the sweetness. Tannins are dry, super-fine, and they are still the dominant attribute of this wine, in a good way. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 17.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Jul 2024)
75cl bottles (case of 6)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The nose is initially shy but slowly reveals wild berry, exotic incense, aromatic herb and a whiff of toast. The firm palate is more expressive and is all about elegance, delivering crushed red cherry, raspberry compote, cinnamon and star anise while taut, fine-grained tannins provide support. It’s extremely young but already tempting so hold for even more complexity and to let the tannins unwind. Drink 2023–2035. Drinking range: 2023 - 2035 Rating: 95 Kerin O'Keefe, kerinokeefe.com (Sept 2023)
Light cherry red. So pretty and scented with sour cherry and spice but it's fruit not oak spice. Firm, chalky texture and a definite chalky/mineral character overall. Drinking range: 2020 - 2030 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)
Sottimano's 2015 Barbaresco Cottà is powerful, dense and brooding. Today the big, potent tannins somewhat constrict the mid-palate and finish. It will be interesting to see if the 2015 fleshes out with time in bottle. While that may happen, I expect the 2015 will always remain a bit rough around the edges, certainly within the context of the finest Sottimano Barbarescos of recent vintages. Smoke, grilled herbs, plum and firm, chunky tannins all give the 2015 Cottà its burly potent feel. Drinking range: 2022 - 2030 Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Oct 2018)
From a celebrated cru in Neive, the 2015 Barbaresco Cottà is a shapely, soft and accessible interpretation of Nebbiolo from a warm vintage. This mid-weight wine boasts a bright bouquet with ruby highlights. Those aromas are alert, tonic and straightforward in delivery. In terms of mouthfeel, this wine is firm and structured. However, the astringency is safely within bounds (for a young Nebbiolo). Some 10,000 bottles were made. Only 10% of the wine goes into new oak and the rest goes into neutral barrique. Drinking range: 2020 - 2035 Rating: 93 Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate (www.robertparker.com) (Sept 2018)
Maturing mid ruby with narrow bricky rim. Cloves, cinnamon bark and cherry palate with lots of coating tannins. Great balance, length and concentration. Hedonistic but needs more time. Drinking range: 2020 - 2030 Rating: 17.5 Walter Speller, www.jancisrobinson.com (Jul 2018)
The 2015 Barbaresco Cottà comes across as a bit heavy, which is something that can happen in warmer vintages, where the natural heft of this site is amplified. There is no shortage of intensity and power, but the Cottà feels blowsy today. On the more positive side, the 2015 does offer a good bit of freshness. It will be interesting to see where things ultimately shake out here. Rating: 92 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Oct 2017)
Sottimano
The next generation of Andrea, Elena and Claudia Sottimano are now at the helm here and this exquisite estate continues to make better and better wines - some of the finest in Barbaresco. This sixteen hectare estate is based in the Cotta' region of Barbaresco, and the Sottimano family have over the years bought outstanding vineyards in the 'crus' of Currà, Cottà, Fausoni, Pajore and Basarin. In the vineyard they work organically and aim to limit yields. The winemaking is as low-intervention as possible, using only natural yeasts and then bottling without filtering or fining. All of these 'crus' are given exactly the same élevage, so as to allow the individual 'terroirs' to express their character. Terroir expression is the target here - and these amazing wines are as much an education as a joy to drink.
There are five different crus - each with very specific attributes where they produce their distinctly different Barbarescos. The latest edition is Basarin, with a mixture of clay, limestone and sand, is at about four hundred metres above sea level. This produces the estate's Langhe Nebbiolo, which is basically 'village Barbaresco', as the vines are very young (10-15 years old). It makes for wines that are always very elegant, refined, tannins are silky and softer, nuanced of spices and herbs (eucalyptus).
Fausoni, on sand and clay, makes wines that are always very elegant - mint, liquorice and little red fruits. This is in the historical part of Neive.
Currà, on clay and limestone, is one of the smallest cru of the whole appellation, wines are always very intense and powerful, hard-bodied and with good tannins. Hints of spices and smoke are characteristics of this area.
Cottà, on limestone with clay is one of the oldest cru in Barbaresco, vines are always very old here (fifty years and older) and the colours are just a little bit lighter than other vineyards (because of the clay), but they have a very distinctive nose of dark fruits and mint, a great elegance and mineral tannins.
Pajore is almost entirely on limestone with just a little clay. This is the highest vineyard of all, at 420 metres above sea level. The vines are very old, and it is always the most mineral and elegant of the four Barbarescos. Limestone brings into the wine a great purity of fruit, a distinctive aroma of spices and tobacco (cigar box) and a very unusual quality of tannins, firm but very mineral.
ORDERING VIA OUR WEBSITE:
- Click on the 'ORDER' button to add cases to your Wishlist order form. The Wishlist appears in both the sidebar and header (separately from the main basket).
- You can view and edit your Wishlist at any time before submitting the order form.
- Submit your Wishlist order form with your details and please indicate any special requirements in the notes, including whether you would like the wines duty paid.
- We will respond as quickly as possible with confirmation of your order and your invoice.
Please note that certain wines are on very tight allocations and will first be offered to customers who buy across the range. If you have any queries, please email our private clients team or speak to your usual L&S contact.
ORDERING VIA EMAIL:
Please feel free to email us your Wishlist at any time. This list can include wines listed as available on the website, as well as those marked 'To Be Advised'. We will reply as soon as possible with confirmation of what we can offer.
STORAGE OPTIONS:
Wines bought in bond are scheduled to arrive at our DP (Duty Paid) warehouse a few weeks after the campaign closes. If you do not wish to take home delivery, Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private clients team for more information.
While helpful, we do not require a firm commitment on delivery destination to process your order at this stage. Our team will be in contact with you when your wines arrive in the UK to confirm the necessary delivery details.
PIEDMONT LATEST RELEASES FAQ
OFFER: All wines are offered subject to availability and final confirmation.
PRICING: All prices are quoted IN BOND ex-VAT, by the case size stated. Please double check that the desired case size does match what is being offered as wines are variously listed in threes, sixes, dozens, halves and larger formats.
DELIVERY - TIMING: This is an in bond offer so the wines are not yet physically available for delivery in our DP warehouse. They will be delivered to our DP warehouse a few weeks after the campaign closes. If you require wines to be delivered by a certain date, please advise us at the time of ordering.
DELIVERY - FEES: In bond delivery to an Elephant Storage account (for more information see 'Storage Options' opposite) is free of charge. Transfer of wines to any third party bond (i.e. not Elephant Storage) will incur an administration charge of £16.50 + VAT for all orders under £500. If you require wines duty paid, please indicate this in your Wishlist order form. A duty & VAT invoice will be raised once all the wines on your order are available for shipment. Once the relevant duty & VAT has been settled, we will ship the wines to your nominated address as per our normal duty paid Delivery Terms.
PAYMENT: All orders will be invoiced for immediate payment by cheque, cash, debit card or cleared funds to our account. We regret that we cannot accept credit cards for primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.