2018 Barolo Pajana, Domenico Clerico

• Style: Garnet Nebbiolo, rose & spice-driven
• Taste: Intense, balanced, taut acidity; balsam and mineral drive
• Food: Roasted meats, game, venison, aged cheese
• Occasion: Cellar worthy, gifting, special dinners
• Serve: 14–16°C, now through early 2030s

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

The Pajana announces itself with garnet lustre and layers of rose, spice and balsam. On the palate, intensity meets balance; the acidity (5.76 g/L) keeps the wine taut and alive, with the clay and ancient sandstone of Monforte d'Alba evident in every sip. This is Nebbiolo at its most precise — a wine for the table, not for show.

The Winery — Domenico Clerico

Domenico Clerico reshaped Barolo in the late 1970s and early 1980s through precision in vineyard and cellar alike. When he and his wife Giuliana took over the family farm in 1976, he began vinifying their own grapes with strict focus on viticulture and winemaking technique, drawing inspiration from French practice. The Pajana vineyard, acquired in 1990 and planted on east-southeast slopes between 330 and 340 metres, sits on sand-clay soils that give Nebbiolo its mineral structure. The 2018 vintage benefited from adequate spring moisture and steady summer ripening; Clerico's approach — careful sorting, pre-fermentation skin maceration, temperature-managed fermentation in stainless steel, then 18 months in French and Slavonian oak — respects the fruit without masking it. At 14.5% abv and vegan certified, this is a wine equally at home at plant-forward and traditional tables.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Serve this wine at 14–16°C alongside roasted meats, game, venison, mushroom dishes and aged hard cheeses. The balance and acidity make it as welcome at intimate dinners as at formal gatherings. This is one of the finest examples of Nebbiolo we've found, earning scores of 95 from Robert Parker and Raffaele Vecchione — a reminder that Italy's greatest wines need no apology, only a glass and a proper meal. Drink now through the early 2030s; the natural cork and cellar temperature will reward patient collectors.