Barbaresco Paje, Roagna 2020

For lovers of traditionally made Nebbiolo, few names carry the reverence and mystique of Roagna. Deeply rooted in the hills of Barbaresco since the late nineteenth century, with documented bottlings dating back to 1890, the estate has become one of Piedmont’s most uncompromising and sought after producers, crafting wines of extraordinary finesse, detail and longevity from some of the Langhe’s greatest vineyard sites. Today led by Luca Roagna alongside his father Alfredo, the family remains fiercely committed to traditional winemaking, with organic farming, massal selection, wild yeast fermentation, submerged cap macerations that can extend for several weeks, and long ageing in large neutral oak botti all central to the estate philosophy. At the heart of the domaine lies Pajé, one of Barbaresco’s most historic and important crus, alongside celebrated holdings in Albesani, Gallina, Montefico and Asili, while in Barolo the family’s revered Pira vineyard in Castiglione Falletto produces some of the estate’s most profound wines. Roagna’s combination of tiny production, long ageing regimes and uncompromising traditionalism has earned the wines cult status amongst collectors and sommeliers, often drawing comparisons with the great terroir driven domaines of Burgundy for their transparency, precision and extraordinary ageing potential.

Barbaresco Pajé comes from the vineyard most closely associated with the Roagna family, a historic south facing amphitheatre directly beneath the village of Barbaresco that has become one of the defining crus of the appellation. The site is planted predominantly on calcareous limestone marl soils, producing Nebbiolo of remarkable tension, perfume and mineral precision. Compared to the broader richness of Gallina or the more open aromatics of Albesani, Pajé is often more linear, tightly wound and intensely structured in youth, with a driving saline minerality that gives the wines extraordinary ageing potential. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts and extended submerged cap maceration, allowing complexity and tannic detail to build slowly and naturally over time. The wine is then aged for extended periods in large neutral oak botti, preserving the transparency and architectural precision of the vineyard. The wine shows rose petal, blood orange, sour cherry and wild strawberry, layered with dried herbs, liquorice, tea leaf and a pronounced chalky mineral character. The palate is taut, energetic and deeply structured, with refined but persistent tannins, vibrant acidity and a remarkably long finish that captures the precision, tension and haunting complexity that define Pajé at its finest.

Origin Italy, Piedmont, Barbaresco, Pajé

Grapes Nebbiolo

Vintage 2020

Alcohol 14.0%

Style Structured, mineral, ageworthy

Bottle size 75cl

Winemaking Spontaneous fermentation with extended submerged cap maceration, followed by long élevage in large neutral oak botti to preserve aromatic complexity, structure and terroir transparency

Notes Organic, Low intervention, Sustainable Viticulture