Crichët Pajè is the highest expression of Roagna’s work and one of the rarest wines made in Barbaresco. It comes from the top rows of Pajè, where 60-year-old Nebbiolo vines grow in the vineyard’s most limestone-rich soils. Production is normally around 1,000 bottles.
Fermentation is followed by an 80 to 90-day submerged-cap maceration, then at least eight years in large, neutral French oak before release. Nothing here is rushed. The wine began as the Roagna family’s private reserve and was first offered commercially in 1978.
The 2016 is extraordinarily detailed and complete, with red cherry, blood orange, rose, tobacco, spice and crushed stone held by fine, chalky tannins. Despite its concentration, it remains light on its feet, fresh and precise, with a finish that continues to unfold. It is already compelling, but its real life lies ahead.
100 points, Wine Advocate
99 points, Wine Spectator
98+ points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
A genuine collector’s wine, produced in minute quantities and capable of developing for decades.
