2005 Barbaresco Moccagatta

Good full red. Reticent black cherry and licorice on the nose. At once sweet and penetrating, with a firm spine of acidity and apparent minerality giving this very young Barbaresco an almost painful quality. This has the medicinal reserve and the structure to age a long time.

The 2005 Barbaresco Riserva Moccagatta is one of the more compact, linear wines in this vintage. The Moccagatta offers up sensations of bright red fruits, flowers, spices and vanilla in a rather unyielding style. The wine should improve in bottle but the tannins will likely always remain somewhat firm.

The 2005 Barbaresco Riserva Moccagatta is one of the more compact, linear wines in this vintage. The Moccagatta offers up sensations of bright red fruits, flowers, spices and vanilla in a rather unyielding style. The wine should improve in bottle but the tannins will likely always remain somewhat firm. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. The Produttori del Barbaresco have another set of wonderful wines on their hands with these new releases. The Produttori have long made delicious, ageworthy Barbarescos, but in the last few years the overall level of quality and consistency has gone up several notches. Best of all, prices have remained exceedingly fair. The 2005 Riservas are worthy successors to the magical 2004s. The 2005 have more overt fruit than the 2004s but lack the explosive, layered quality that defines so many of the wines of that magical harvest. Still, these fine, traditionally built Barbarescos deserve serious attention. The estate’s fans will be delighted to learn that Riservas are planned for the 2006, 2007 and 2008 vintages. Readers who want to learn more about the Produttori may want to revisit my article on www.erobertparker.com for notes on a number of the estate’s legendary, benchmark wines. Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200