Cascina Luisin, Barbaresco “Paolin” Cheap

Cascina Luisin, Barbaresco “Paolin”

Cascina Luisin’s Minuto family goes back eight generations in Barbaresco. In the mid-1800s, they were shipping demijohns of wine to Turin via oxcart, and in 1913, Luigi Minuto began estate-bottling wines—making the family one of the first in the region to do so (“Cascina” means “farmhouse” and “Luisin” is Piedmontese dialect for “little Luigi”). Liugi’s sons, Lorenzo and Mario, split up the family’s holdings in 1952, creating what are now two of the most acclaimed estates in Barbaresco: Lorenzo retained the original Cascina Luisin winery, which is perched right in the famed “Rabajà” vineyard in the commune of Barbaresco, while Mario established Moccagatta, which is practically right next door.

In addition to bottling wines from the “Asili” and “Rabajà” crus, which may be the two most acclaimed single vineyards in Barbaresco, Cascina Luisin also farms a special parcel called “Sorì Paolin,” which is part of the Basarin cru in the commune of Neive. It has a full south exposition and climbs to about 270 meters above sea level, with an average vine age of around 65 years. The structure and complexity of hand-farmed, old-vine fruit is on glorious display. In the glass, the 2017 displays trademark Barbaresco aromas of Marasca cherry, wild strawberry, currant, orange peel, rose petals, leather, graphite, black tea, and tar. It’s such a heady, inviting perfume you could just sit there swirling and sniffing indefinitely, while on the palate, it has some youthful grip that softens with some time open. Decant it 30-60 minutes before serving in Burgundy stems at 60-65 degrees and you’ll find lots to love about the wine now, but it should really explode in about 3-5 years.