Azienda Agricola Paitin di Pasquero—The Essence of Piemonte (Interview and Tasting with Giovanni Pasquero-Elia)

This past month, I attended the “Meet the Winemakers” event hosted by one of my favorite wine shops, Moore Brothers (NJ). I cherish these occasions not only because of the spectacular, free tastings offered, but also because Moore Brothers gets to share its international wine relationships with the public. Though in the near future, I will dedicate an article profiling the attributes that make Moore Brothers such a special place to learn about and purchase wine, I will say this much—the majority of their selections are the culmination of many trans-Atlantic trips meeting the families that make great wine in Italy, Germany and France, among a few others. During these voyages, Moore Brothers forges lasting relationships with these families, bringing the consumer an opportunity to experience much more than a buzz; this is a wonderful testament to the concept of wine representing human, cultural capital. Imagine if you could go to a wine shop where everything that you hated about bad wine was simply edited out. Not to give the impression that it is some form of utopic, Willy Wonka place, but imagine that you could shop at a wine retailer that ONLY imported the great wines that you’d have to “be there to try”—you know, the stuff you finally find at the Generic Liquor Mart after 45 minutes of sifting through bottles from other countries’ “rejects” bins. What matters here is that every wine at Moore Brothers carries a story—in terms of individuality, many of these wines also represent an entire wine making manifesto of culture, humanity and quality, something that marketing executives can’t swallow. Since you get the point and the winemaker in question deserves a book-length report, let’s move on.

Don’t be weary, you don’t have to read a long back and forth interview; I’ve taken the care of translating and editing all of my notes and condensing them into an informative, tasty morsel of the interview. So who was the guest? None other than Giovanni Pasquero-Elia of Azienda Agricola Paitin di Pasquero, from the Piemontese house that produces what many the world over consider to be the benchmark Barbaresco. That Saturday, Mr. Pasquero-Elia visited Moore Brothers to take command of the tasting table and talk to the public about his classically Piemontese wines, since it was announced a week prior that the store had picked up Sori Paitin’s wines for the 2006 inventory. Armed with my notebook, tucked in shirt and modest, Argentinean-affected Italian skills, Mr. Pasquero-Elia was quite patient and affable in discussing Sori Paitin and its wines with me. Humble and showing that contagiously warm, congenial disposition typical of my Savoyard copains, Mr. Pasquero-Elia’s feel for his land and rigorous know-how flowed elegantly through his inviting Piemontese accent. So, what do you get out of reading this? The following tasting reports are not just any ordinary Enotheque tasting reports, but more so an enriched version with bits of the winemaker’s observations and wisdom. Let’s explore Sori Paitin…

Located in Northern Italy’s Piemonte region, recent host to the 2006 Torino Olympic Winter Games, an occurrence that Mr. Pasquero-Elia courteously described as slightly annoying to the local residents (I have to agree with this one), the Azienda’s physical quarters are based on a 16th century farmhouse bought by the family in 1796 and recently renovated. Situated in Serraboella south and east of Neive, the scenic estate is only 2 km from one of Piemonte’s quintessential towns, Alba. Extending to now 7 generations of winemakers, Mr. Pasquero-Elia and his brother Silvano oversee production at this perennial powerhouse of Piemontese wines, which has been selling Barbaresco-labeled wines since 1893. In its recent history, Secondo Pasquero-Elia carried out a series of updates as well as a complete re-planting of the vineyards during the 1950’s, adjustments which lead to the first official estate bottling in 1964. But of course, the bottlings! Sori Paitin produces wines in one of the most prime D.O.C. locations for Dolcetto as well as Barbaresco. Counting on the mountain climate, age of the vines, elevation and South-Westerly winds, the 42 acres of vine produce richly concentrated, low-yield parcels of Nebbiolo for unique Barbaresco, as well as Barbera and Dolcetto (small parcels of Arneis and Cabernet Sauvignon too). Following are the reviews for Sori Paitin’s outstanding wines; if you want to really know classic yet individual Piemontese wines, precluding Sori Paitin would be a crime. According to Mr. Pasquero-Elia, Sori Paitin recently contracted a new distributor for the U.S. market, making their wines available in most metro areas. Regardless of inter-state shipping complications, visit Wine Searcher to find Sori Paitin wines at a retailer near you.

I would like to extend my gratitude to Mr. Giovanni Pasquero-Elia for continuing a priceless tradition as well as Moore Brothers for the incredible opportunity to meet the people behind great wines. Following are the reviews for the Sori Paitin Dolcetto d’Alba 2004, Barbera d’Alba Serra Boella 2004, Barbaresco Serra Boella 2001 and Barbaresco Vecchie Vigne 2001.