Produttori
del Barbaresco: The 1999 Riservas

This
recent tasting provided a great opportunity to compare the Produttori’s
single-vineyard 1999 Riservas side-by-side. As I reported in Issue 1 of Piedmont Report, the Produttori del
Barbaresco cooperative has focused on single vineyard Barbarescos since its
inception in 1958. Although Nebbiolo is a prized grape today, that wasn’t
always the case. The Produttori were well ahead of their time in the late
1950s. Readers should note that as part of their charter, the Produttori either
bottle all of their Riservas in a given vintage, or none at all.

Winemaking
remains very much traditional. My sense is that the wines have increasingly
become more consistent in recent years as the Produttori have increased the
standards they require of their member-growers in the field and also made
significant upgrades in the cellar, including replacing many of their older botti. Best of all, the Produttori
Riservas remain some of the most reasonably priced, age-worthy wines made
anywhere in the world.

Managing
Director Aldo Vacca is very high on the vintage, saying “I think 1999 is an
extraordinary vintage very much in the classic style. I would have to go back
to 1971 to find a vintage that combines such ripe fruit, structure, and aging
potential.” Speaking of more recent vintages Vacca says “1999 combines the
structure of 1989 with the ripeness of 1990.” 

&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1408042122691-1999Barb+lineup.jpg">

The growing
season was characterized by cool weather, which allowed the grapes to mature
gradually. “When the grapes ripen in the fall the differences between the
various vineyards are quite evident, whereas in warmer vintages such as 2000,
the differences are somewhat less obvious,” explains Vacca. 

Speaking
of drinking windows Vacca says “of the 1999s our most accessible wines today
are Pora and Rio Sordo due to the more fertile soils in those vineyards. Montestefano
is also drinking very well, as the wine is somewhat uncharacteristic in that it
has so much fruit that the tannins are covered.” Vacca goes on to describe Montefico
as the most structured of the Riservas, while Rabajà and Ovello are the “freshest,
and in need of quite a bit of time.”

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1408042107099-1999ProduttoriPora.jpg"> A view of Pora from the bottom of the hill

The more forward
1999 Riservas can be enjoyed now with some decanting, but I expect that the
majority of these wines will start to become expressive at about age ten and with
good storage can last 20 years or more. Picking favorites out of this group is
virtually impossible as the wines are all excellent, even if they don’t reach
the heights of the Produttori’s very finest wines.

My
ratings reflect a personal preference for wines of structure and aging
potential, but readers should not hesitate in trying any of these very fine
examples of classic Barbaresco. Wines are listed in the order tasted, which was
random. The wines were tasted blind.

<a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?wine_filter%5Barticle_id%5D=457">See The Wines</a>

-- Antonio Galloni(Originally published in&nbsp;Piedmont Report, Issue 2, April 2005)

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