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• Score: 94 Vintage 2017 Wine Enthusiast Balsamic aromas of camphor oil and new leather unite with mature dark-skinned fruit. Smooth, full-bodied and offering a weightless concentration, the palate offers raspberry, cherry marinated in spirits and star anise framed in firm, fine-grained tannins that grip the close. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2017 Wine Advocate The 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Pajè is impressive on all fronts, but especially in terms of aromas. There's so much brightness here with red and purple fruits, rust and a dark note of clove or exotic spice. No element is out of place, but together they help to build the intensity of this balanced wine. It shows a soft, velvety texture, and perhaps there is a little more ripeness overall in this warm vintage. Production is 6,666 bottles. Produttori del Barbaresco has been hitting it out of the ballpark these past years with a string of excellent vintages that resulted in the production of their entire line of Riservas. However, that good momentum comes to an end because the Riservas were not made in 2018. That vintage saw all the fruit blended into one non-MGA Barbaresco. And with the 2017 Riservas reviewed here, you might find these bottles hard to find. Production was 30% lower in this growing season because of a very careful fruit selection process. In fact, Aldo Vacca calls 2017 a "roller coaster vintage with frost, then hail, then a summer drought." Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2017 Vinous Media The 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Pajè is a fine choice for readers who enjoy wines of freshness, verve and energy. Dark fruit, menthol, spice, pine and crushed rocks are beautifully delineated. This is an especially chiseled wine in the range of 2017 Riservas. I very much like the balance of richness and vibrancy. In a word: classic. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2017 Wine Spectator Leads with a whiff of freshly mown hay, which leads to cherry, currant, tar and eucalyptus flavors. Linear and chewy, with hints of underbrush and iron on the lingering finish. Best from 2025 through 2042. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2016 Vinous Media The 2016 Barbaresco Pajè opens with deeply pitched spice notes that are so alluring. Pliant and beautifully layered in the glass, the 2016 possesses tremendous density and brawn. Blue/purplish fruit, cloves, lavender and menthol infuse this rich, hedonistic Barbaresco with tons of character. The tannins are present, but they are nearly buried by the sheer density of the fruit. In a word: impressive. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2016 Wine Spectator Fresh hay, sage and tamarind aromas introduce this juicy red. Flavors of strawberry, cherry and tobacco hold court as the dense structure peeks through the minerally finish. This strikes a nice balance between fleshiness, fruit, acidity and tannins. Best from 2024 through 2043. 830 cases made, 100 cases imported. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2016 Wine Advocate The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Pajè (with only 6,423 bottles released) shows contoured lines and elegant sharpness, with cherry and cassis that segue to smoke, tar and licorice. This wine is beautifully pristine and targeted in terms of its aromatic delivery. Nothing falls by the wayside. That neat, tucked-in personality also distinguishes the wine in terms of mouthfeel, with firm structure, tannins and taut fruit tension. Pajè shows exceptionally well in this vintage. The Basso and Giordano family vineyards supply the fruit in this Riserva. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2016 Wine Enthusiast Aromas of truffle, ripe dark-skinned fruit, hay and menthol come to the forefront along with a whiff of underbrush. Brawny and concentrated, the palate offers dried cherry marinated in spirits, licorice and crushed mint set against a backbone of assertive, fine-grained tannins. You’ll also notice the warmth of alcohol on the midpalate and finish. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 97 Vintage 2015 Wine Enthusiast Violet, new leather, perfumed berry and a whiff of face powder mingle together with camphor on this fragrant red. On the structured, polished palate, taut, refined tannins support succulent Morello cherry, mulberry and licorice. It's already tempting, but hold for even more complexity. Drink 2022–2027. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2015 Vinous Media One of the highlights in this series, the 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Pajè is marked by bright acids and expressive veins of spiciness that lend a much needed kick of energy to a core of translucent Nebbiolo fruit. Dark cherry, menthol, licorice, dried flowers and pine all develop in the glass. The combination of ripeness and saline-infused energy makes the Pajè one of the more complete wines in this range. There is so much to admire here. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2015 Wine Spectator A beam of fresh cherry and plum plays out over a line of earth, tar and licorice in this round and open red, with well-integrated tannins for support. Shows excellent balance and length and should be approachable soon. Best from 2023 through 2040. 833 cases made, 175 cases imported. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2015 Wine Spectator A beam of fresh cherry and plum plays out over a line of earth, tar and licorice in this round and open red, with well-integrated tannins for support. Shows excellent balance and length and should be approachable soon. Best from 2023 through 2040. 833 cases made, 175 cases imported. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2015 Wine Advocate The Produttori del Barbaresco 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Pajè shows a heavier center of gravity (compared to the Pora) with thicker concentration of dark fruit at the middle. The jump is not big, but it is noticeable, like one step up a ladder. This wine produces more ferrous earth and iron ore with plenty of dark fruit. The mouthfeel is less complicated and shorter too in this vintage, although the tannins feel firm and prominent. Between Pora and Pajè, I'd give a slight edge to Pora. Some 10,000 bottles were released. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2014 Wine Advocate The 2014 Barbaresco Riserva Pajè is one tiny degree darker in color saturation compared to the expression from the Pora vineyard. (I tasted these single-vineyard Riserva wines moving up the intensity gradient in the order suggested by the estate). This wine offers a slightly softer, rounder and richer quality of fruit. On the palate, those red fruit flavors are long lasting and thick in textural richness. This wine is beautiful straight out of the gate. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2014 Wine Enthusiast Violet, wild-berry and ground clove aromas take center stage while the medium-bodied palate shows juicy cherry, raspberry compote and star anise. Vibrant acidity and refined tannins provide an elegant framework. Drink 2021–2031. KERIN O’KEEFE Shelf Talker Full Page Review