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Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 BARBARESCO D.O.C.G. CRU COLLECTION - Timber Box
1 Bottle of each of the 9 Cru present in a Wooden Cru Collection Box.
WINE ADVOCATE: Robert Parker Jr., tasted by Monica Larner
2020 Riserva Montefico 96+
Two standouts from the 2020 vintage are Montefico and Asili. The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Montefico comes from a site that is distant from the warm air that travels through the Tanaro River Valley and is closed within an amphitheater. This is a beautiful vineyard that looks toward the village of Neive and has active limestone soils. The wine is especially compact in texture and has a distinctly herbal note, with dried rosemary and lavender, that gives it a Mediterranean or botanical feel. The palate delivers a brief moment of softness, but otherwise the wine is structured and rich.
2020 Riserva Asili 95
The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Asili shows terrific balance and freshness thanks to cold evenings that lasted to the end of September. Asili is not far from Pora, and both sites share similar sandy soils. However, Asili is cut off from the warm air currents of the Tanaro River. This wine is more profound as a result, with soft tannins, a linear texture and well-defined mouthfeel. The 2020 vintage is more accessible overall, but you get the profound depth that Nebbiolo offers. This was the fifth of nine wines presented in the Riserva series. Therefore, it falls somewhere in the middle of the power continuum in terms of intensity and richness.
2020 Riserva Rabaja 95
In this vintage, the Rabajà was served last in a series of nine Riservas; that's because it shows the most structure and power over a very defined and sharp mouthfeel. The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is streamlined and tight and a wine of enormous energy. The fruit is crunchy and tight with cassis and blackberry. A pretty mineral note defines Rabajà, giving it a chalky or powdery sensations on the close.
2020 Riserva Ovello 95
The Ovello vineyard has some northern exposures and generally represents a cooler growing site. You can expect intense fruit flavors and more prominent tannins as a result. The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello fits the bill. Vine growth starts much later and usually lasts longer to produce dark intensity and bold aromas in the wines. In the cold years, the tannins can be aggressive, but in the hot years like 2020, they show better balance. This wine offers ferrous notes of iron and rusty nail followed by cherry-driven sweetness.
2020 Riserva Muncagota 94
The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota is quite powerful and ample but not fully integrated as of yet. This vineyard site is located in a warm growing area, and you do feel the heat of the vintage in terms of the ripeness of the bouquet and the softness of the tannins. This wine paints with broad brush strokes, offering blackberry, plum and spice. It needs another year or two to find better focus.
2020 Riserva Rio Sordo 94
The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo comes from an area that is further removed from the Tanaro River and has southwestern exposures. It shows a typical profile for Nebbiolo with rich fruit, a velvety mouthfeel and textural volume that is delivered with ample blackberry, blackcurrant and spice. The character of this wine is generous and rich. There is plenty of meat on these bones.
2020 Riserva Pora 93
This is the first wine served in a flight of nine that increase in intensity and power moving forward. The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Pora opens to a medium-light color with garnet highlights. Aromas include wild cherry, cassis and blue flower. You also get hints of crushed limestone. The Pora vineyard is near the Tanaro River Valley, where warm air accumulates, and the vines are planted in fertile soils. The extra heat and humidity of the area makes for accessible wines that are ready to drink and are less complex overall.
2020 Riserva Montestefano 93
Normally, Produttori del Barbaresco President Aldo Vacca puts Montefico, Rabajà, Muncagota and Montestefano at the end of his flight of Riservas. But in this year's presentation, he put the 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano fourth to last instead of last. This wine is usually the darkest and the most austere in the series. However, the 2020 does not live up to its usual flavor profile. The aromas are quite ripe, even overripe, with prune and raisin. The tannins are soft, leading to a succulent and chewy mouthfeel. My recommendation is to give this wine a shorter drinking window.
2020 Riserva Paje 93
The Pajè vineyard faces the Tanaro River and is tucked at back of a narrow theater of vines. The site is often characterized by a floral note of rose and violet that comes thought nicely in the Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Pajè. With those sweet floral notes comes an open-knit mouthfeel and a more immediate drinking style with soft, silky tannins. In fact, this was the second of nine wines served in a flight that started with the lightest Riservas and ended with the most powerful wines.
VINOUS – Antonio Galloni
Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano 2020 Antonio Galloni 97 points
Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà 2020 Antonio Galloni 97 points
Barbaresco Riserva Asili 2020 Antonio Galloni 96 points
Barbaresco Riserva Montefico 2020 Antonio Galloni 96 points
Barbaresco Riserva Ovello 2020 Antonio Galloni 95 points
Barbaresco Riserva Pajè 2020 Antonio Galloni 95 points
Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota 2020 Antonio Galloni 94 points
Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo 2020 Antonio Galloni 94 points
Barbaresco Riserva Pora 2020 Antonio Galloni 93 points
WINE SPECTATOR
Barbaresco Riserva Asili 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 96 points
Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 95 points
Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 95 points
Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 95 points
Barbaresco Riserva Montefico 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 94 points
Barbaresco Riserva Ovello 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 94 points
Barbaresco Riserva Pora 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 94 points
Barbaresco Riserva Pajè 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 93 points
Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 93 points
1 Bottle of each of the 9 Cru present in a Wooden Cru Collection Box.
WINE ADVOCATE: Robert Parker Jr., tasted by Monica Larner
2020 Riserva Montefico 96+
Two standouts from the 2020 vintage are Montefico and Asili. The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Montefico comes from a site that is distant from the warm air that travels through the Tanaro River Valley and is closed within an amphitheater. This is a beautiful vineyard that looks toward the village of Neive and has active limestone soils. The wine is especially compact in texture and has a distinctly herbal note, with dried rosemary and lavender, that gives it a Mediterranean or botanical feel. The palate delivers a brief moment of softness, but otherwise the wine is structured and rich.
2020 Riserva Asili 95
The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Asili shows terrific balance and freshness thanks to cold evenings that lasted to the end of September. Asili is not far from Pora, and both sites share similar sandy soils. However, Asili is cut off from the warm air currents of the Tanaro River. This wine is more profound as a result, with soft tannins, a linear texture and well-defined mouthfeel. The 2020 vintage is more accessible overall, but you get the profound depth that Nebbiolo offers. This was the fifth of nine wines presented in the Riserva series. Therefore, it falls somewhere in the middle of the power continuum in terms of intensity and richness.
2020 Riserva Rabaja 95
In this vintage, the Rabajà was served last in a series of nine Riservas; that's because it shows the most structure and power over a very defined and sharp mouthfeel. The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is streamlined and tight and a wine of enormous energy. The fruit is crunchy and tight with cassis and blackberry. A pretty mineral note defines Rabajà, giving it a chalky or powdery sensations on the close.
2020 Riserva Ovello 95
The Ovello vineyard has some northern exposures and generally represents a cooler growing site. You can expect intense fruit flavors and more prominent tannins as a result. The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello fits the bill. Vine growth starts much later and usually lasts longer to produce dark intensity and bold aromas in the wines. In the cold years, the tannins can be aggressive, but in the hot years like 2020, they show better balance. This wine offers ferrous notes of iron and rusty nail followed by cherry-driven sweetness.
2020 Riserva Muncagota 94
The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota is quite powerful and ample but not fully integrated as of yet. This vineyard site is located in a warm growing area, and you do feel the heat of the vintage in terms of the ripeness of the bouquet and the softness of the tannins. This wine paints with broad brush strokes, offering blackberry, plum and spice. It needs another year or two to find better focus.
2020 Riserva Rio Sordo 94
The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo comes from an area that is further removed from the Tanaro River and has southwestern exposures. It shows a typical profile for Nebbiolo with rich fruit, a velvety mouthfeel and textural volume that is delivered with ample blackberry, blackcurrant and spice. The character of this wine is generous and rich. There is plenty of meat on these bones.
2020 Riserva Pora 93
This is the first wine served in a flight of nine that increase in intensity and power moving forward. The Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Pora opens to a medium-light color with garnet highlights. Aromas include wild cherry, cassis and blue flower. You also get hints of crushed limestone. The Pora vineyard is near the Tanaro River Valley, where warm air accumulates, and the vines are planted in fertile soils. The extra heat and humidity of the area makes for accessible wines that are ready to drink and are less complex overall.
2020 Riserva Montestefano 93
Normally, Produttori del Barbaresco President Aldo Vacca puts Montefico, Rabajà, Muncagota and Montestefano at the end of his flight of Riservas. But in this year's presentation, he put the 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano fourth to last instead of last. This wine is usually the darkest and the most austere in the series. However, the 2020 does not live up to its usual flavor profile. The aromas are quite ripe, even overripe, with prune and raisin. The tannins are soft, leading to a succulent and chewy mouthfeel. My recommendation is to give this wine a shorter drinking window.
2020 Riserva Paje 93
The Pajè vineyard faces the Tanaro River and is tucked at back of a narrow theater of vines. The site is often characterized by a floral note of rose and violet that comes thought nicely in the Produttori del Barbaresco 2020 Barbaresco Riserva Pajè. With those sweet floral notes comes an open-knit mouthfeel and a more immediate drinking style with soft, silky tannins. In fact, this was the second of nine wines served in a flight that started with the lightest Riservas and ended with the most powerful wines.
VINOUS – Antonio Galloni
Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano 2020 Antonio Galloni 97 points
Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà 2020 Antonio Galloni 97 points
Barbaresco Riserva Asili 2020 Antonio Galloni 96 points
Barbaresco Riserva Montefico 2020 Antonio Galloni 96 points
Barbaresco Riserva Ovello 2020 Antonio Galloni 95 points
Barbaresco Riserva Pajè 2020 Antonio Galloni 95 points
Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota 2020 Antonio Galloni 94 points
Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo 2020 Antonio Galloni 94 points
Barbaresco Riserva Pora 2020 Antonio Galloni 93 points
WINE SPECTATOR
Barbaresco Riserva Asili 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 96 points
Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 95 points
Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 95 points
Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 95 points
Barbaresco Riserva Montefico 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 94 points
Barbaresco Riserva Ovello 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 94 points
Barbaresco Riserva Pora 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 94 points
Barbaresco Riserva Pajè 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 93 points
Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo 2019 Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator 93 points