Sottimano

The beginnings: late 1960s

Sottimano began at the end of the 1960s, after Rino completed his oenology studies and decided to make wine. He acquired a farmhouse that became the winery’s home, together with land in Cottà. The initial holding amounted to only a small vineyard.

Establishment in Barbaresco: 1970s

The family has produced wine in the Barbaresco production zone since the 1970s. From the outset, Rino pursued wines made from individual grape varieties and sought to avoid chemicals and herbicides in order to preserve the natural equilibrium of the hills.

Rino and his wife Anna gradually expanded the estate through the purchase of plots in several Barbaresco crus. Some vineyards were planted by Rino during the 1970s and 1980s. Others were acquired in the same period as established, mature vineyards that had already been productive for years, creating the high proportion of old vines present in the estate today.

Continuity and the family today

Rino now works alongside his children Andrea, Elena and Claudia. Together they manage the vineyards and cellar, continuing an approach based on craftsmanship, traditional methods and respect for the identity of each site. More than four decades of vineyard work have been conducted within certified organic practices, while cellar work has progressively focused on preserving grape quality and limiting intervention.

The 2016 watershed

The 2016 vintage marked a turning point. Rigorous organic vineyard work brought what the family regarded as a clearer and more forceful expression of individual crus and terroir, an emphasis maintained in subsequent vintages. This development led to the creation of Barbaresco DOCG Riserva 2016, selected from the oldest vineyards and finest grapes as an estate-level expression centred on terroir.

Vineyard work is organized around maintaining the natural equilibrium of the soil, vines and surrounding environment while supporting biodiversity. The family follows each parcel through its development rather than treating all sites uniformly, seeking to let each vineyard express its own terroir.

Chemicals and herbicides were avoided from the beginning of Rino’s work. The vineyards have received particular care for more than 40 years within certified organic practices. Traditional vine diseases are addressed with natural products intended both to protect and nourish the plants. Close observation of how each vine responds through its vegetative cycle guides the support it receives.

The estate follows its vineyards throughout the annual cycle, from pruning to harvest. Currà’s old vines are specifically associated with low yields. The 2016 vintage represented an important result of increasingly painstaking organic work: individual crus achieved a more distinct expression, and this became a continuing objective in later vintages.

Cellar work is based on traditional methods, preservation of the grapes’ quality and minimal oenological intervention. The principal Barbaresco method combines meticulous grape selection, spontaneous alcoholic fermentation, extended skin maceration, a period with the cap submerged and transfer to wood, where malolactic fermentation is completed. The cru Barbarescos receive approximately one additional year of bottle rest to develop their full expression. Large oak barrels form the core of the estate’s stated ageing philosophy.

Spontaneous alcoholic fermentation and skin maceration recur across the wider range. Malolactic fermentation follows different routes according to the material: it is completed in wood for Barbera, while Dolcetto and Matè complete spontaneous malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. Langhe Nebbiolo undergoes spontaneous malolactic fermentation and is aged in barriques and large barrels.

The intended result is not a standardized cellar style but a clear presentation of vineyard identity, vintage and the typical character of Barbaresco and Piedmontese grape varieties.