Barbaresco Riserva

Score

97

"Great garnet brightness in the glass, with a stunning nose full of depth and complexity, showing prunes, black truffles, tamarind, potpourri, licorice, mint and tobacco. Full-bodied. Tannins are firm and dusty yet condensed and ripe, tight-knit with fresh acidity. Superclassic."

Score

97

"The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva comes from the estate™s oldest vines in Currà and undergoes manual selection before aging for 24 months in French oak. Pouring a deep but still bright red color, it reveals notes of darker cherries, cedar, and tobacco. The oak integrates seamlessly, and the wine shows depth and richness on the palate while maintaining refreshing acidity and ripe tannins. It combines concentration with freshness, delivering depth without weight and excellent clarity. Only released in exceptional vintages, this is the current release. Drink 2026-2046."

Score

97

"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."

Score

96

"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."

Score

17.5+

"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)"