2020 Barbaresco Montestefano
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The 2020 Barbaresco Montestefano is gorgeous. Sweet scents of pipe tobacco, spice, dried herbs, mint, leather and crushed autumn leaves all grace this exquisite, super-classic Barbaresco. The 2020 offers a beguiling mix of the slightly oxidative character that is typical here with bright Nebbiolo acids that add a counterpoint. The 2020 can be enjoyed now with aeration. A bottle tasted that had been opened 24 hours in advance was nicely softened, while a freshly opened bottle showed a bit more nervous energy. The overall flavor profile was pretty similar.
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Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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Just bottled, Rivella’s 2020 Barbaresco Montestefano is aromatic, light on its feet and quite expressive. Perhaps the 2020 will close down a bit, as Nebbiolo often does, but today I find a wine of notable charm and effusive elegance. More than anything else, I find the 2020 wonderfully balanced, with fruit, acid and structure all woven together. Time in the glass brings out hints of sweet pipe tobacco, cedar and spice, along with gorgeous inner sweetness in its dried red cherry fruit. The slightly warmer year vis-à-vis 2019 yielded a surprisingly approachable young Barbaresco that is all charm.