1990 | Domenico Clerico | Pajana

Description

Red Wine: 1990 | Domenico Clerico | Pajana

The 1990 vintage reveals a harmonious and integrated nose, featuring nuances of dark red cherries, raspberries, subtle earthy notes, liquorice, dried roses, hints of oak, woody spices, tobacco, and well-aged leather.

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Producer: Domenico Clerico

Ratings: WA | 97 WS | 90

Vintage: 1990

Size: 750ml

ABV: 14%

Varietal: Nebbiolo

Country/Region: Italy, Piedmont

The 1990 vintage reveals a harmonious and integrated nose, featuring nuances of dark red cherries, raspberries, subtle earthy notes, liquorice, dried roses, hints of oak, woody spices, tobacco, and well-aged leather. This full-bodied wine offers a well-proportioned and complex palate characterized by crisp, elevated acidity and refined tannins.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Richer, rounder and softer than the Ciabot Mentin Ginestra, the 1990 Pajana is just superb in a sumptuous, enveloping expression of ripe, dark fruit. Tobacco, cedar, sweet spices, roasted coffee beans and plums are just some of the nuances that emerge from this full-bodied, intense Barolo.

• Wine Spectator: Nicely aromatic and flavorful, with a hard edge of tannin and acidity and a supple core of anise and wild berry flavors that battle the tannins to a standstill on the finish.

Producer Information

Domenico Clerico is a small, high-quality producer near Monforte d’Alba in Piemonte. It is particularly known for rich, aromatic, single-vineyard wines from the Barolo appellation. The Barolo lineup is headed by Percristina, from a 1.7-hectare (4.2-acre) plot in the Mosconi cru, which is aged for 36 months in French barriques, then 24 months in Slavonian oak vats. As well-known (and a little easier to find) is the Ciabot Mentin, from a 5.5-ha (13.6-acre) portion of the Ginestra cru, which receives 24 to 30 months in French barriques. A separate 3-ha (7.5-acre) Ginestra plot provides the grapes for the Barolo Pajana. Aeroplanservaj (Wild Aeroplane) is named after the nickname Domenico’s father gave him, and is sourced from a rented plot in Serralunga d’Alba. The Bricotto cuve is rarest of all, sourced from just 0.3ha (0.7 acres) in the Bussia vineyard, and produces a mere 750 magnums annually. The generic Barolo is sourced from a specific 4.1ha (10.1 acres) of vines in cru vineyards, and is aged for 18 to 24 months in a mix of new and old barriques and large Slavonian casks. Capisme-e is labelled as Langhe Nebbiolo, but produced from fruit from Barolo vineyards, aged in steel tanks. Nebbiolo also dominates in the Arte Langhe Rosso which combines fruit from three of the cru plots with 10 percent Barbera, The range is completed by a Barbera d’Alba and a Langhe Dolcetto. Winemaking has evolved over the years and Domenico Clerico does not sit firmly within either the modernist or traditional camp. Decisions regarding use of barriques or large barriques have historically been taken at least partly with a pragmatic view concerning availability and ease of handling, and the big change has been to extend maceration periods from five to eight days to an average of 18. Approaches in the vineyard are perhaps more dogmatic. Vine quality is considered paramount and yields are amongst the lowest in the region. The estate in its current form began in 1976, when Domenico took over his father’s 5-ha (12-acre) smallholding, which had supplied the local cooperative. Over the years he has added small parcels from some of the best sites in Barolo and now holdings totals around 21ha (52 acres).