2004 Barbaresco Montefico Riserva

The 2004 Barbaresco Riserva Montefico is another of the larger-scaled wines in this lineup. It reveals a profile of ripe red fruits, spices and menthol wrapped into a seamless yet structured frame. This Barbaresco doesn't quite have the level of profoundness of the finest wines in this vintage, but it comes awfully close. Shades of Bruno Giacosa's 1971 Barbaresco Montefico linger on the long and immensely satisfying finish.

The 2004 Barbaresco Riserva Montefico is another of the larger-scaled wines in this lineup. It reveals a profile of ripe red fruits, spices and menthol wrapped into a seamless yet structured frame. This Barbaresco doesn’t quite have the level of profoundness of the finest wines in this vintage, but it comes awfully close. Shades of Bruno Giacosa’s 1971 Barbaresco Montefico linger on the long and immensely satisfying finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024. Managing Director Aldo Vacca had some interesting things to say about the 2004 vintage in Barbaresco. “I wasn’t initially convinced about the quality of the vintage until I had the wines fermenting in the cellar, something I also experienced in 1978,” says Vacca. “ The summer wasn’t especially hot, but the Fall was gorgeous, and our harvest took place during the second half of October. Given that yields were on the high side, I felt we needed to be especially selective in the cellar, so we produced roughly 30% less of some of our Riservas by using only the best individual lots for wines like our Ovello, Montestefano and Moccagatta Riservas. Any lots we weren’t thrilled about went into our non-Riserva Barbaresco. In 2004 vineyard exposures were a huge factor in determining maturity, while 2005 was perhaps a touch more consistent throughout, but without the complexity and structure of the 2004s.” Readers who have a hard time finding the 2004s, shouldn’t fret, as the Produttori will also release Riservas for the 2005, 2006 and 2007 vintages, so there will be plenty of wine in the pipeline over the next few years. Given the weakness in the US dollar, readers may want to quickly snap up any remaining stocks of the 2001 Riservas as well. Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200