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Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Collectors Case 2013

Tasting Notes

2013 Pora - 94 points: The 2013 Barbaresco Riserva Pora is soft, pliant and enveloping. In many vintages, the Pora can be a bit light. Not in 2013. The wine is rich and deeply textured, with layers of fruit that continue to build with time in the glass. The tannins are present, but they are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. This is an especially powerful, brooding edition of the Pora. Although impressive today, the 2013 will drink well for decades to come.

2013 Rio Sordo - 93 points: The 2013 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo is one of the more gracious, approachable wines in this range. Medium in body, yet deep and beautifully resonant, the 2013 has so much to offer. It should open up a bit earlier than most of the other 2013s in the range. Succulent dark cherry, plum, tobacco, mint, licorice and lavender grace the effortless finish.

2013 Muncagota - 94 points: Like most of the wines in this lineup, the 2013 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota is quite potent. A rush of raspberry jam, wild flowers, white pepper and mint make a strong opening statement. Succulent and yet also structured, the Muncagota has so much to offer. It should be one of the first wines in this range to start opening up, although when that will happen exactly is hard to say.

2013 Pajé - 96 points: The 2013 Barbaresco Riserva Pajé is simply fabulous. Sweet floral notes soar from the glass as this deep, beautifully resonant Barbaresco shows off its compelling inner sweetness and total sense of poise. The flavors are deep yet fresh, with wonderful fragrance and impeccable balance throughout. A wine of total harmony, the 2013 is going to be nearly impossible to resist young. The 2013 is one of the best versions of the Pajé I can remember tasting.

2013 Montefico - 96+ points: The Barbaresco Riserva Montefico shows all the energy and focus that is typical of this great site, but there is so much depth to the fruit that some of the more angular contours have been softened. Bright saline-infused notes lead to wild flowers and an exotic melange of red fruits in this beautifully delineated, vivid Barbaresco. All the elements are simply in the right place.

2013 Montestefano - 95+ points: A dark, brooding wine, the 2013 Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano comes across as quite virile today, with huge tannins and equally imposing dark fruit. Smoke, leather, licorice and game add to an impression of raw, almost unrestrained, power. There is not a whole lot of finesse here at least not now. The Montestefano is a wine painted in broad brush strokes that emphasize power over elegance. Then again, that is Montestefano. Readers should be in no rush to open the 2013.

2013 Rabajà - 96 points: The 2013 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is shockingly seamless in this tasting. Deep layers of fruit virtually bury the tannins, something that is so unusual for a young Rabajà. A host of dark blue-tone fruits, lavender, mint, violet and spice race across the palate in an utterly vivid, compelling Barbaresco of the highest level. Perhaps I caught the Rabajà on an unusually open day, but it is terrific and also quite refined for such a young wine.

2013 Ovello - 96 points: The Produttori's 2013 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello is all power, tension and nerve. Even so, the 2013 is remarkably civilized and much less austere than young Ovello Barbarescos usually are. Scents of cranberry, white pepper and mint give the wine its signature high-toned aromatics. The Ovello has a Volnay-like purity to its fruit, with Nebbiolo tannins and structure, of course. If that sounds appealing, well, it is. Vivid, sculpted and impossibly beautiful, the Ovello is simply magnificent.

2013 Asili - 97 points: Absolutely stunning in every way, the 2013 Barbaresco Riserva Asili is also the most complete wine in the lineup at this stage. Floral, lifted and exquisitely beautiful, the 2013 speaks to regal elegance and finesse above all else. Silky tannins add to an impression of total sensuality. At this stage, there is almost no impression of tannin, as the wine is so impeccably balanced. The 2013 shuts down quickly in the glass, which may suggest it is headed for a long period of dormancy. Readers who can find the Asili should not miss it, as it is truly sublime.

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Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.