Pajè is where the Roagna story begins. The family's original 1.83 hectare Barbaresco vineyard, acquired in 1953, it sits at the centre of the Barbaresco commune — a natural amphitheatre facing south-west on limestone soils at 225 metres altitude, rooted in the marne sant'agat fossile bedrock, sheltered and close to the water's edge. The wines from this site tend to be reserved and brooding — but always refined and intense.
The 2016 opens with scents of rose, cherry and hay, with cherry and raspberry fruit taking centre stage. White pepper, sun-kissed fields and tar add depth as the refined tannins take hold of the finish. Dark cherry, tobacco, licorice, leather and deeply-pitched spice accents infuse the wine with captivating nuance. This is Nebbiolo at its most classically structured — generous but never giving everything away at once.
This is a back vintage, and a serious one. The 2016 has been professionally stored in a bonded UK warehouse since release — ideal conditions for a wine of this calibre and ambition. It arrives in your hands exactly as Roagna intended, with years of further development still ahead of it.
Standing in a Roagna vineyard, you almost forget it is a place to grow grapes — grass, insects and wildlife flourish throughout the vines, which are never subjected to chemical sprays, mowing or tilling. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts, long maceration, and years in large neutral oak botti ensure that nothing gets between the wine and its terroir.
Best from 2025 through 2043. The wait is almost over — but there's still plenty more to come.