1989 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Pajè

Community Tasting Notes (17) Avg Score: 92.6 points

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  4/25/2023 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points

  The fruit is sourced from the Pajè vineyard. Released only after a minimum of four years of aging. Bottle #1,073 of total 8,385 bottles. Lot number L3.153. 14% alcohol.
  
  Quite deep, luminous and slightly translucent crimson color with a faint evolved brick-red hue. The nose feels sweet, fragrant and very attractive with nuanced aromas of cherry marmalade, some balsamic notes of VA, a little bit of pipe tobacco and pine tar, light smoky phenolic nuances, a sweet hint of ripe black raspberry, a touch of dried flowers and a faint funky whiff of bretty leather. The wine feels silky and wonderfully textural on the palate with a medium body and intense flavors of ripe black raspberries and wizened cranberries, some bretty notes of leathery funk and phenolic spice, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light licorice root tones, a hint of gamey meat and a touch of tar. The wine is still impressively structured with its high acidity and ample, chewy tannins that are still pretty grippy in nature. The finish is dry, complex and quite grippy with a long, savory aftertaste of wizened cranberries and sour cherry bitterness, some dried flowers, a little bit of leathery funk, light gamey tones, a hint of tar-flavored licorice candies and a touch of meaty umami.
  
  A wonderfully complex, textural and seductive Produttori Riserva with good sense of age and development yet enough intensity of vibrant ripe fruit to keep it from tasting fully mature. Unlike in most other Produttori Riservas we tasted at the same go, this vintage of Pajè showed a tiny bit of bretty funk. The wine didn't come across as super funky, but there was definitely a tiny bit of rustic complexity and phenolic spice lurking underneath the fruit, mainly adding to the complexity rather than obfuscating the purity of fruit. The structure is still pretty tightly-knit and most likely could take on some additional aging, but the fruit department is in such a great spot that it doesn't seem to call any further cellaring. I'd say the wine is very close to its plateau of maturity, but there's still a tiny bit of room for further development; drink now or somewhere during the next few decades - this will keep just fine if need be. Very highly recommended.

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  10/22/2022 - T.E.D. wrote: 95 Points

  Somm rec at Carbone. Wow, was not expecting the quality and vibrancy this wine shows. Very aromatic with delicate notes of rose box, sweet perfume, touches of herb and underbrush. The palate continued with tart cherry fruit, wild berry, and sweet clay. Excellent wine with many years left.

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  4/18/2019 - kenv Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Neb Vinous Blind 1989 Barolo & Barbaresco Dinner (Buona Notte, NYC): [Double decanted around 10am.] Gorgeous rich red and black fruit nose. Sour cherry, long and delicious. Long bright cherry finish.

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  4/18/2019 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 95 Points

  1989 Barolo Retrospective - Single Blind (Buona Notte, NYC): The ‘89 Paje was the wine of our Barbaresco flight for me, showing spicy dark red fruits with lifting minerality, fresh soil tones, and dried roses. On the palate, I found soft textures, contrasted by saline-minerality and stunning, juicy acidity, as fresh dark red fruits and savory spices gilded across the senses. The finish was long and remarkably pretty, resonating on dark red fruits with amassing inner florals and lingering mineral tones. It was simply so balanced, vibrant and in no sign of declining at any time in the near future.

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  5/13/2018 - cct wrote: 92 Points

  Dinner in the Langhe with friends
  
  Rich and dark on the nose. Tar and roses, ferrous. On the palate dense, and a bit rough on the edges. Great texture and depth. Still with some brooding darkness to it. Not the best bottle of the 89 Paje I have had, but still a very enjoyable wine.
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