2008 Barbaresco Starderi
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Tasting notes
La Spinetta's 2008 Barbaresco Riserva Vigneto Starderi (magnum) is more overtly unctuous and ripe than the Gallina tasted alongside it. Super-ripe dark cherry, mocha, vanillin, sweet spice and licorice infuse the Starderi with tremendous textural richness and intensity. I find the exotic, jammy notes of the 2008 hard to get past, but this style will undoubtedly appeal to readers who enjoy more overtly flamboyant wines.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Good full red. Plum, menthol and minerals on the nose, complicated by marzipan and a medicinal quality. Fuller but less expressive than the Gallina, showing less fruit today. I don't find the same mid-palate energy as in the 2009 version but Rivetti says this wine is actually higher in acidity. And it has more stuffing to support its serious tannins than the Gallina. Very imploded today and in need of several years of cellaring.
The 2008 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi is the biggest, most powerful and also most complete of the 2008 Barbarescos here, but it will require considerable patience. Huge, massive tannins provide the backdrop to a core of expressive dark fruit, flowers, mint and licorice. This is a virile Barbaresco with plenty of stuffing to age well, but it needs time for the tannins to soften. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. This is a superb set of wines from Giorgio Rivetti. The 2008 Barbareschi are among the strongest wines of the year, while the 2007 Barolo Campe is the best wine to emerge from Rivetti’s vineyards in Grinzane Cavour. The La Spinetta style focusing on wines of great textural richness remains intact, but is dialed in to a greater degree with each passing vintage. Importers: Indigenous Selections, Fort Lauderdale FL; tel. (954) 530-4021, Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY (516) 677-9300