2011 Barbaresco Asili Riserva (Red Label)

The 2011 Barbaresco Riserva Asili (red label) is a full and generous wine that wraps thickly over the senses. The bouquet shows enormous depth and power with a generous presentation of dark fruit, cassis, balsam herb, cola, licorice, tar and lingering smoke. There is an evident sense of fruit ripeness here that helps to build momentum and staying power. Clay soils in the vineyard site have also helped to contribute to the heft and full-bodied nature of this special wine. The finish is characterized by mild acidity and lingering flavors of ripe fruit. The opulent fruit of the wine recalls the 2007 and 2004 vintages.

This is an incredible wine that reminds me of the perfect 2000 Barolo Rocche del Falletto. Flowers, spices, leather and animals. Dried mushrooms too. Then changes to Japanese ginger and lemon peel. Full-bodied but refined and so long. It has layers of fruit and power. Decadent. Ripe and intense. Perfect balance and harmony. It will be released in 2016.

(bottled in July of this year): Good medium red. Crushed cherry, raspberry, rose petal and botanical herbs on the tangy nose and palate. If the Santo Stefano is a more masculine, underbrushy style of nebbiolo, this one is a perfume bomb in the mouth, incredibly silky and fine-grained but with outstanding sappy tang to leaven its thickness. Most impressive today on the slowly mounting, elegant, mouth-saturating back end, which features big but fine-grained tannins and outstanding rising length. A real essence of nebbiolo.