1990 Barbaresco Paje

I suspect this bottle of the 1990 Barbaresco Riserva Paje is not perfect, as the tannins clamp down a touch on the finish in a way that is unusual for this bottling. Still, it is impossible not to admire the wine’s freshness and vibrancy. As is often the case, the Paje reveals a profile of sweet balsamic, mentholated flavors wrapped around a core of dark fruit. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2015. Produttori del Barbaresco has a long and distinguished track record of over-delivering, an especially notable achievement considering the winery is a cooperative. Member growers farm grapes in virtually all of the most prized vineyards in the village of Barbaresco. The Produttori were nowhere near as consistently outstanding in the late 1980s and early 1990s as they are today, but nevertheless in top vintages the winery excelled, as these 1989 Riservas clearly show. Unfortunately, finding older bottles of the Produttori’s 1989s and 1990s today is virtually impossible. Because of their consumer-friendly prices, most of the wines were drunk long ago. Adding to the problem of sourcing older wines is the fact that after 1990 the Produttori did not make their Riservas again until 1995, and in the intervening years old stocks were depleted at the winery and are now non-existent. At their best, the Produttori wines offer a traditional style where the unique voices of the Barbaresco’s top sites and the qualities of each individual vintage speak with great eloquence. The approach to vineyard management, vinification and aging was and remains very much in the traditionalist camp.