The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Pajè (with only 6,423 bottles released) shows contoured lines and elegant sharpness, with cherry and cassis that segue to smoke, tar and licorice. This wine is beautifully pristine and targeted in terms of its aromatic delivery. Nothing falls by the wayside. That neat, tucked-in personality also distinguishes the wine in terms of mouthfeel, with firm structure, tannins and taut fruit tension. Pajè shows exceptionally well in this vintage. The Basso and Giordano family vineyards supply the fruit in this Riserva.

Fresh hay, sage and tamarind aromas introduce this juicy red. Flavors of strawberry, cherry and tobacco hold court as the dense structure peeks through the minerally finish. This strikes a nice balance between fleshiness, fruit, acidity and tannins.

The 2016 Barbaresco Pajè Riserva from the Produttori del Barbaresco is very red fruity in personality this year (this Cru can often be pretty black fruity in its youth), offering up a lovely and very precise bouquet of (mostly) red and black cherries, anise, lovely spice tones (that will turn to curry with age), bonfire, pigeon, a lovely base of soil tones that will turn autumnal fairly briskly, cumin, lavender and fresh oregano. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and rock solid at the core, with a fine structural chassis, ripe, chewy tannins, excellent focus and grip and a long, very nicely balanced and extremely promising finish. This is already supremely elegant on the nose (though still quite primary), but will need extended bottle age for the tannins here to soften up and the wine to drink with generosity.