2020 Paitin Starda Langhe Nebbiolo Piedmont 750 ml

“With the history and expertise that comes with this bottle, there isn’t another Nebbiolo like it at this price.”

Our Master of Wine, Vanessa Conlin, didn’t mince words in telling us why the 2020 Paitin Starda is among her favorite under-$25 Langhe wines. One of the oldest wineries in the region, Paitin is Barbaresco ROYALTY, producing some of Piedmont’s most recognizable, benchmark bottlings. 

That you can pick up this value today from an estate of such historic pedigree—and from a top Barbaresco vineyard classified by Vinous as “outstanding”—is stunning. 

“Paitin is one of the very few estates in Piedmont where every wine—from top to bottom—is worth your consideration,” wrote Antonio Galloni of Vinous about the 226-year-old producer. “Consistency across the entire range is one of the criteria that separates the very best estates from the merely excellent. Paitin’s entry-level offerings deliver considerable quality for the money.” 

Traditional in vinification and light in body, the Starda is made from 40-year-old vines on the lower, sandy slopes of Serraboella—the most famous cru in the village of Neive. A bracing microclimate helps refine the Nebbiolo’s succulent weight and nuance to a silky sheen, resulting in a wine that’s neither overly heavy or aggressively tannic.

Delicious, gulpable, and so satisfying for the money, the 2020 Starda is the ideal cool-weather red wine from a vintage that winemakers are using words like “perfect” to describe. The wine has an incredible pure-fruit character and terroir transparency, painstakingly achieved through biodynamic farming. 

We love Langhe Nebbiolos for their singular combination of freshness, complexity, and food-friendly versatility. There’s no question this is one of the best values you can find in its category for the price.