2004 La Spinetta Barbaresco Starderi
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Tasting notes
(bottled in magnums; from the oldest part of the vineyard): Good dark red. Deep, inviting aromas of chocolate, earth, leather and menthol complicated by minerals. Sweet, dense and highly concentrated, showing complex flavors of dark fruits, truffle, earth, minerals and mocha. Lovely energy here: this tastes younger than its age even if the nose suggests a maturing wine. Most impressive on the slowly building, vibrant back end, whose persistent sweetness makes the Gallina Riserva seem almost dry by comparison.
Critic scores
The Wine Advocate
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Interestingly, the 2004 Barbaresco Riserva Starderi, from magnum is a bit more forward than the Gallina, which I would not have expected based on how the wines showed when they were young. Sweet tobacco, white truffles and worn-in leather all waft from the glass. The Starderi has plenty of depth in its fruit and relatively soft tannins for such a big wine, but the aromatics are a bit more evolved, all of which suggests the wine is best enjoyed over the next handful of years. Hints of crushed flowers and rose petals linger on the close.
(from a vineyard in Neive) Deep red. Rather elegant nose offers strawberry, raspberry, tobacco, truffle, smoked meat and dried rose. Lush, full and rich but with harmonious acidity and a minty nuance leavening the wine's thickness. There's a sweet strawberry flavor here but also serious structure and big tannins, giving it a suggestion of youthful austerity. An impressive bomb of a Barbaresco: I'd drink the Gallina first and hold this for five or six years.
The 2004 Barbaresco Starderi is a knock-out effort. A dark, brooding wine it reveals an array of dark cherries, spices, tar and smoke in a powerful, sinewy style. With each passing moment, it seemingly turns more and more classic in the glass, with only the super-ripe fruit serving as a reminder that this is a more contemporary wine. The balance and use of oak are both masterful. It is easily the finest wine Giorgio Rivetti has ever made, and is also the first wine in the estate's h istory that can truly challenge for a spot in the top echelon of the zone.