Barbaresco 'Curra'

Score

96

"Here's a little hop, skip and a jump back in time to a vintage with great personality and character. The Sottimano 2015 Barbaresco Currá is a majestic expression that unfolds to reveal dark fruit, spice and carefully evolved aromas of tar, licorice and spent embers. Past vintages of this wine have started off slow and closed (that's one of Currá's age-worthy attributes), but the warm and sunny 2015 vintage starts with high aromatic intensity. The wine is aged in neutral oak (with only 10% new barrel) and fruit comes from 50- to 60-year-old vines in Neive. The mouthfeel is young and spicy, so this wine won't be fully accessible for another 10 years or so. A mere 2,500 bottles were made."

Score

95

"The 2015 Barbaresco Currà really stands out in this lineup because of its translucent fruit, aromatic intensity and generally the way the personality of the site comes through even in the warm vintage. Freshly cut flowers, mint and sweet red berry fruit make a strong opening impression, but it is the wine's weightless, super-classic feel that makes it truly compelling. Already an early candidate for wine of the year, the 2015 is superb."

Score

95

"Whoa, this is a wine with great potential, but the 2014 Barbaresco Currá needs at least another two years to just chill out. It's way too tightly wound at the moment. This vineyard is right next door to Cottà, but the Currà (the accents here reflect the real spelling of these MGA crus) is a whole different animal altogether. The soil that lies underground accounts for the difference. This Barbaresco is closed and hard if released too early, and this vintage definitely needs more time to show that elegance, which is bound to be remarkable when it does. The fabric of the mouthfeel is different, to say the least, but there is much more complexity as well. Some 3,000 bottles were made."

Score

94

"The 2014 Barbaresco Currà is the most tannic and linear of these wines. Orange peel, mint, white pepper, sweet red cherry and cranberry are all beautifully delineated in the glass. Vibrant, poised and energetic, the 2014 possesses tons of elegance and pure class. I loved it. The Currà is often slow out of the gate, but it is impressive, even in the early going."