Azienda Agricola Sottimano is a wine producer located in Piedmont, in northwest Italy. The winery is in Neive in Barbaresco and produces a range of varietal wines
from Nebbiolo, Barbera, Brachetto and Dolcetto. It is perhaps best known for its five "cru" Barbaresco wines: Currà, Cottà, Fausoni, Pajorè and Basarin.
Sottimano was founded in 1974 by Rino Sottimano in Cottá – a highly reputed area to produce Nebbiolo. It has since expanded to include other prestigious vineyards in the Piedmont region. Sottimano owns 18 hectares (44 acres) of vineyard land and farms organically. The estate practices bunch thinning to produce low yields of highly concentrated fruit.
At harvest, grapes are picked by hand and fermented with indigenous yeasts – the fermentation and maceration process will take about 25 days. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel and wines are left to age in French oak barrels for 24 months, 12 months of which are spent sur lie. Wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
The Wine: 100% Brachetto, a grape that is usually used to make sweet sparkling wine. This organic, small production dry wine is anything but. Smells like a basket of fresh red flowers, cherries, and herbs. Light-medium and dry. Try it chilled.
Organically grown. Vegan-friendly.
