One of the world’s greatest wine treasures, the Produttori del Barbaresco. Since 1958, the Produttori has been the reference point for classic Barbaresco. And since their launching in 1967, the Produttori’s Riservas have been the defining expressions of Rabajà, Asili, Ovello and Barbaresco’s other noble vineyards.
The Produttori was founded in the crushing poverty of the 1950s, when the parish priest organized 19 struggling growers to make wine communally. With time, the Produttori grew to about sixty members.
Today, many of Barbaresco’s best growers are members, occupying the greatest sites and pooling their fruit. In lesser years, only one wine is made, but in great vintages, up to ten magical Barbarescos can be made: the often astonishing flagship Barbaresco plus nine single-cru Riservas.
98 Points James Suckling
Incredible aromas of white truffle, meat, wet earth, lightly burnt orange peel and pure fruit. Medium-bodied and very compact, with a block of silky tannins that run through the palate and then come out at the end with a gorgeous texture. It’s very drinkable now, but will age wonderfully. This is a special release. They never made a serious blended riserva in their history.
98 Points Jeb Dunnuck
The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva will be available later this spring. It is introspective at the moment. although it is concentrated with licorice, fresh black cherry, cedar, and black pepper. It is a more brooding wine but retains its style, with leather, red plum, and balsamic, and as it opens it shows more fresh apricot. It is going to be a wine to hold onto and or drink over the coming two to three decades.