2009 Barbaresco Pora Riserva

Good bright, full red. Slightly liqueur-like aromas of red cherry, raspberry, smoke, menthol and earth. The palate offers good winey concentration, with chewy, ripe cherry fruit currently a bit dominated by notes of torrefaction. Densely packed and youthfully closed, with tannins and a touch of tar currently cutting of the fruit on the back end. The pHs are actually a bit lower in the 2009s than they are in the 2008s, according to Vacca: 3.4-3.45 vs. 3.5-3.55.

Firm tannins provide the backbone for the 2009 Barbaresco Riserva Pora. Bigger and richer on the palate than it often is, the 2009 Pora is also quite beautiful in this vintage. Sweet floral and mint notes wrap around the palate in this impeccable, beautifully balanced, mid-weight Barbaresco from the Produttori. The 2009 impresses for its pliancy and generosity. Today, the tannins are a bit four-squared, but there is enough depth in the fruit to make me think the wine will come together a little more fully with more time in bottle.