Roagna Roagna Barbaresco Pajè Vecchie Viti 2019 750ml

Shows an extra dimension of viscosity and energy, with cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, mineral and licorice flavors. Verging on racy, offering lively acidity and dense yet refined tannins, this red is still on the reticent side, yet with all its components in the right place and superb potential. Best from 2027 through 2047. 285 cases made. (Bruce Sanderson)

Asili's ace card is elegance. Montefico has especially fragrant aromas, and Pajè is distinguished by its structure. That textural richness comes from the advanced age and deep roots of 80-year-old vines. The Roagna 2019 Barbaresco Pajè Vecchie Viti was born in an amphitheater of vines on limestone soils. The top part of the vineyard where the mineral signature is more pronounced goes to the Barbaresco Crichët Pajé, and the remaining fruit is used here. The wine shows a combination of sweetness and power with chalky tannins to close. Of the four Vecchie Viti wines (including three Barbarescos and one Barolo), this is the last wine served in the tasting. Luca Roagna makes this choice because the Pajè Vecchie Viti shows the biggest tannic structure. The Vecchie Viti wines will hit the market in January or February 2025. (Monica Larner)

The 2018 Barbaresco Pajè Vecchie Viti is graced with striking inner sweetness. The Vecchie Viti is powerful and deep, but not in an obvious way. It has more inner sweetness and also more structure than the straight Pajè, but also less overt depth, as odd as that might sound. I especially admire its freshness. It will be interesting to see how this develops in bottle. (Antonio Galloni)

The 2019 Barbaresco Pajè Vecchie Viti is a wild, exotic wine. Ethereal and deceptively medium in body, the dark fruit is perfumed. The weight and gravitas of the old vines are palpable, and yet, somehow, the 2019 remains light on its feet. The aromatics alone are beguiling. The 2019 just needs time to be at its most expressive. (Antonio Galloni)