Barbaresco 'Starderi'

Score

95

"Raspberry coulis, dried red plums, vanilla, cedar and spice box make for a pronounced and beguiling nose. Full-bodied and very powerful on the palate, yet the tannins are polished and the acidity focused and refreshing. Drink from 2023."

Score

95

"The 2016 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù starts with a no-nonsense obscure color and ends with lots of dark fruit on the close. In between, it shows a spot of bitterness on the tongue, delivered with ripe fruit and some rather tight tannins. There are lots of tar notes here too, along with the sort of resin and camphor ash you might not have been expecting from such a youthful Barbaresco. But this one has a heavy center of gravity and is not to be trifled with. It's a big and bold wine that demands a rare cut of beef. Some 14,500 bottles were made."

Score

96

"The 2016 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi is outrageously beautiful. Dense, powerful and rich, the 2016 races out of the glass with huge fruit to match its classically mid-weight profile. Super-ripe red/purplish berry fruit, wild flowers, licorice and mint play off the huge tannins with real grace. Readers have to be patient, but the 2016 Starderi is a rock star wine. That's pretty much all there is to it."

Score

95

"The 2015 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù is a wine of towering stature, girth and power. The wine's tannic presence is very evident, and that undeniable structure is broad and underlying. I would suggest putting this bottle aside for at least five more years before popping the cork. The beauty here is that the tannins are integrated and never astringent. Instead, they act like a corset that ties the wine together in all the right places."

Score

95

"The 2015 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi rounds out this series of Barbarescos from La Spinetta in grand style. I don't think the Starderi has ever been so elegant or refined as it is in 2015. Medium in body and translucent, the 2015 possesses remarkable purity and nuance in its red-toned fruit and floral aromatics. The oak needs time to fully integrate, but readers should not be planning on opening bottles anytime soon, as the youthful tannins are also imposing. Bright citrus and floral notes add the closing flourishes."

Score

93

"The 2006 Barbaresco Starderi is easily the best of these three offerings, as the wine’s balance is exceptional. Aromatics, fruit and structure are all woven together in an impressive display of power and elegance. The fruit retains the house’s characteristic super-ripe style, but that element is more finely tuned here than in the estate’s other Barbarescos. Simply put, the 2006 is another terrific Starderi from proprietor Giorgio Rivetti and his team. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2024."

Score

93

"Wonderfully floral, with cream and berry aromas. Full-bodied, with round, chewy tannins and lots of fruit. Generous and rich for the vintage. Best after 2012. 1,200 cases made, 540 cases imported. "

Score

93

"The 2006 Barbaresco Starderi is easily the best of these three offerings, as the wine's balance is exceptional. Aromatics, fruit and structure are all woven together in an impressive display of power and elegance. The fruit retains the house's characteristic super-ripe style, but that element is more finely tuned here than in the estate's other Barbarescos. Simply put, the 2006 is another terrific Starderi from proprietor Giorgio Rivetti and his team."