Paitin 'Starda' Nebbiolo, Langhe, Piemonte, Italy 2024
The Pasquero-Elia family has farmed in Neive since 1796, when Benedetto Elia purchased the farmhouse, cellar, and surrounding vineyards of what would become Paitin. In 1893 — the same year the estate produced its first Barbaresco — the family began commercial export, making Paitin one of the oldest continuously operating estates in the appellation. The winery was substantially rebuilt and the vineyards replanted by massale selection in 1965 under Secondo Pasquero-Elia, who passed away in 2020. Leadership has since passed to his sons Giovanni and Silvano, alongside Giovanni's son Luca, the sixth generation. The estate's holdings are centered on the Serraboella cru in Neive, one of Barbaresco's most powerful and structured sites, with additional vines at Ca Veja in Alba. The Starda is Paitin's Langhe DOC expression, drawing from the lower, sandier sections of Serraboella and the sandier portions of Ca Veja — sites that produce a more supple, early-drinking expression of the estate's Nebbiolo without sacrificing the variety's characteristic structure and aromatic precision. The Starda label was introduced in 2013 to distinguish this bottling from the Ca Veja single-vineyard wine.
- WINEMAKER: Giovanni, Silvano, and Luca Pasquero-Elia
- FARMING: Certified organic since 2019; sulfur and copper compounds used exclusively in lieu of synthetic inputs. No herbicides; manual or mechanical mowing. Biodynamic techniques incorporated in the vineyard under Silvano Pasquero-Elia's direction, though no biodynamic certification is pursued. All harvesting done by hand.
- VARIETY: 100% Nebbiolo
- TERROIR: Fruit is sourced from two parcels: the lower slopes and sandier soils at the base of the Serraboella hill in Neive (south-southwest exposure; 250–270 masl; calcareous white clay over sandstone — Marne di Sant'Agata Fossili Sabbiose), and the sandier sections of Ca Veja in Alba (east-facing; 280–320 masl; Arenarie di Diano sandstone soils). Vines planted 1980, trained to Guyot. The sandy soils of both parcels yield a more aromatic, textured, and early-approachable style of Nebbiolo than Paitin's Serraboella and Sorì Paitin Barbaresco bottlings, which draw from the higher, richer clay sites.
- VINIFICATION: Destemmed and pressed. Fermentation and maceration in stainless steel for 3 to 6 weeks. At the end of winter, wine is transferred to large wood barrels.
- AGING: 6 months to 1 year in large Slavonian oak casks (25–50 hL, approximately 15 years old), preserving fruit purity and varietal character without imparting oak flavor.
- TASTING NOTES: Translucent garnet with an orange rim. The nose is classic Nebbiolo — wild strawberry, raspberry, crushed rose petals, orange peel, violet, and a mineral undercurrent of undergrowth and tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, finely grained tannins and lively acidity. The sandy-soil provenance delivers a more supple, aromatic profile than the estate's Barbaresco. Saline and mineral on the finish. Best decanted.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Pasta al ragù, braised rabbit, pizza, charcuterie, Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Paitin 'Starda' Nebbiolo, Langhe, Piemonte, Italy 2024
The Pasquero-Elia family has farmed in Neive since 1796, when Benedetto Elia purchased the farmhouse, cellar, and surrounding vineyards of what would become Paitin. In 1893 — the same year the estate produced its first Barbaresco — the family began commercial export, making Paitin one of the oldest continuously operating estates in the appellation. The winery was substantially rebuilt and the vineyards replanted by massale selection in 1965 under Secondo Pasquero-Elia, who passed away in 2020. Leadership has since passed to his sons Giovanni and Silvano, alongside Giovanni's son Luca, the sixth generation. The estate's holdings are centered on the Serraboella cru in Neive, one of Barbaresco's most powerful and structured sites, with additional vines at Ca Veja in Alba. The Starda is Paitin's Langhe DOC expression, drawing from the lower, sandier sections of Serraboella and the sandier portions of Ca Veja — sites that produce a more supple, early-drinking expression of the estate's Nebbiolo without sacrificing the variety's characteristic structure and aromatic precision. The Starda label was introduced in 2013 to distinguish this bottling from the Ca Veja single-vineyard wine.
- WINEMAKER: Giovanni, Silvano, and Luca Pasquero-Elia
- FARMING: Certified organic since 2019; sulfur and copper compounds used exclusively in lieu of synthetic inputs. No herbicides; manual or mechanical mowing. Biodynamic techniques incorporated in the vineyard under Silvano Pasquero-Elia's direction, though no biodynamic certification is pursued. All harvesting done by hand.
- VARIETY: 100% Nebbiolo
- TERROIR: Fruit is sourced from two parcels: the lower slopes and sandier soils at the base of the Serraboella hill in Neive (south-southwest exposure; 250–270 masl; calcareous white clay over sandstone — Marne di Sant'Agata Fossili Sabbiose), and the sandier sections of Ca Veja in Alba (east-facing; 280–320 masl; Arenarie di Diano sandstone soils). Vines planted 1980, trained to Guyot. The sandy soils of both parcels yield a more aromatic, textured, and early-approachable style of Nebbiolo than Paitin's Serraboella and Sorì Paitin Barbaresco bottlings, which draw from the higher, richer clay sites.
- VINIFICATION: Destemmed and pressed. Fermentation and maceration in stainless steel for 3 to 6 weeks. At the end of winter, wine is transferred to large wood barrels.
- AGING: 6 months to 1 year in large Slavonian oak casks (25–50 hL, approximately 15 years old), preserving fruit purity and varietal character without imparting oak flavor.
- TASTING NOTES: Translucent garnet with an orange rim. The nose is classic Nebbiolo — wild strawberry, raspberry, crushed rose petals, orange peel, violet, and a mineral undercurrent of undergrowth and tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with firm, finely grained tannins and lively acidity. The sandy-soil provenance delivers a more supple, aromatic profile than the estate's Barbaresco. Saline and mineral on the finish. Best decanted.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Pasta al ragù, braised rabbit, pizza, charcuterie, Parmigiano-Reggiano.