2016 Barbaresco Riserva

The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva is all old-vine Currà. A dark, potent wine, the 2016 is super-impressive. At nearly ten years of age, it is still a very young wine. Dark-toned fruit, new leather, spice, menthol and espresso are all beautifully amplified in this ample, large-scaled Barbaresco. This is an especially dense style. As good as the 2016 Riserva is, I think the wines being made today are even better and more precise.

Mid to deep ruby with narrow bricky rim. Luxurious deep cherry fruit that opens up to a stunning array of aromas. Cherry, raspberry with hints of rosemary and cigar box. Still not fully open. Suave and succulent on the palate with fantastic, tactile fine gravelly tannins. Still not entirely ready. A monument of a Barbaresco. (WS)

Only produced in the best vintages and held back for a late release, this spectacular wine represents a special selection of fruit from the oldest vines on a 1.5-hectare slope. The Sottimano 2016 Barbaresco Riserva M. Sottimano transports us back to one of the best vintages in this new millennium. Wines from 2016 balance both elegance and power, a difficult feat, and this bottle gives us the added pleasure of tertiary complexity. The bouquet is layered with dried cherry, tarry spice, licorice and rusty nail. The tannins are resolved, and the wine maintains a medium-plus texture. Winemaking for this limited 2,000-bottle release sees long maceration times with submerged cap and aging in large oak casks.