2004 Barbaresco Asili Riserva

Good full red. Subtly complex nose melds raspberry, truffle and underbrush lifted by floral high notes. Silky-sweet but subdued, with a fine-grained texture and lovely balance and mineral complexity. Displays more breadth and power than the Pora and Rio, and the rising finish shows suaver tannins and serious persistence.

The 2004 Barbaresco Riserva Asili coveys an in impression of sheer luxuriousness as it coats the palate with waves of ripe fruit that nearly manage to cover the wine's tannins. Generous and expansive on the palate, the wine reveals tons of depth and richness, with a long, satisfying finish. This remains a vibrant, pure Barbaresco in need of cellaring, yet readers who want to take this bottling out for a test drive won't be disappointed, but beware, the wine shut down quickly in the glass. Simply put, this is sublime stuff.

The 2004 Barbaresco Riserva Asili conveys an impression of sheer luxuriousness as it coats the palate with waves of ripe fruit that nearly manage to cover the wine’s tannins. Generous and expansive on the palate, the wine reveals tons of depth and richness, with a long, satisfying finish. This remains a vibrant, pure Barbaresco in need of cellaring, yet readers who want to take this bottling out for a test drive won’t be disappointed, but beware, the wine shut down quickly in the glass. Simply put, this is sublime stuff. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2024. Managing Director Aldo Vacca had some interesting things to say about the 2004 vintage in Barbaresco. “I wasn’t initially convinced about the quality of the vintage until I had the wines fermenting in the cellar, something I also experienced in 1978,” says Vacca. “ The summer wasn’t especially hot, but the Fall was gorgeous, and our harvest took place during the second half of October. Given that yields were on the high side, I felt we needed to be especially selective in the cellar, so we produced roughly 30% less of some of our Riservas by using only the best individual lots for wines like our Ovello, Montestefano and Moccagatta Riservas. Any lots we weren’t thrilled about went into our non-Riserva Barbaresco. In 2004 vineyard exposures were a huge factor in determining maturity, while 2005 was perhaps a touch more consistent throughout, but without the complexity and structure of the 2004s.” Readers who have a hard time finding the 2004s, shouldn’t fret, as the Produttori will also release Riservas for the 2005, 2006 and 2007 vintages, so there will be plenty of wine in the pipeline over the next few years. Given the weakness in the US dollar, readers may want to quickly snap up any remaining stocks of the 2001 Riservas as well. Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200