Azienda Agricola Sottimano Sottimano Barbaresco Curra 2020 750ml

The 2020 Barbaresco Curra is fascinating to taste next to the 2021, as the two wines paint very clear pictures of their respective vintages. Deep and layered, with superb textural depth, the 2020 is a rich, heady wine that is just starting to open a touch in its aromatics. I would still cellar it for a few years, but opening a bottle now is not a crime. There's real density and plushness here.

This wine is released one year later than the other Barbarescos in this portfolio. The Sottimano 2020 Barbaresco Currá reveals an open-knit character with immediate tones of tart cherry, dried raspberry and lavender sachet. There is an inherent sweetness to those fruit and floral aromas, and the wine remains contained in terms of mouthfeel thanks to its mid-weight texture. Fruit comes from a 1.5-hectare parcel in Nieve with 40- and 50-year-old vines. Given the warmth of the vintage, I recommend a near- or medium-term drinking window for this 3,000-bottle release.