1989 Barbaresco Riserva Pora

Produttori del Barbaresco was nowhere near as consistently outstanding in the late 1989s and early 1990s as they are today, but nevertheless in top vintages the winery excelled, as these 1989 Riservas clearly show. Unfortunately, finding older bottles of the 1989s and 1990s today is virtually impossible. Because of the Produttori's consumer-friendly prices, most of the wines were drunk long ago. Adding to the problem of sourcing older wines is the fact that after 1990 the Produttori did not make their Riservas again until 1995, and in the intervening years old stocks were depleted at the winery and are now non-existent. At their best, the Produttori wines offer a traditional style where the unique voices of the village's top sites and the qualities of each individual vintage speak with great eloquence. The approach to vineyard management, vinification and aging was and remains very much in the traditionalist camp.

Produttori del Barbaresco is one of the few estates in the world that continues to produce fine, age worthy wines at consumer-friendly prices. Although the Produttori's Barbarescos - the Riservas in particular - age extremely well, until recently the wines haven't been considered collectible. Because of their reasonable prices, most of the wines have long been drunk up by the estate's loyal supporters, making older vintages nearly impossible to source, even in the secondary market. This tasting provided an extraordinary opportunity to get a progress report on 21of the estate's single-vineyard Barbarescos. The wines spanned 5 important harvests; 1996, 1989, 1988, 1985 and 1978, all years Piedmont loves recognize as being among the finest to grace the region. As an aside, I recently re-tasted a number of the Produttori's 2004 Riservas and promptly augmented my stock of these sublime Barbarescos. I highly encourage readers to snap up the wines while they are around. Managing Director Aldo Vacca was on hand to provide commentary on the wines, and his soft-spoken yet passionate delivery - intermingled with a healthy sense of humor - in many ways embodied all of the qualities of that make the wines themselves special. Convivio's Executive Chef Michael White presented a knock-out menu to match the wines. The pastas in particular were exceptional, but all of the dishes were to die for, not to mention that they were exquisite with the wines. This was my second great dinner at Convivio within the last few months. Given the quality of the food, I was not surprised to see the dining room completely packed despite the challenging economic environment. The tasting was organized by the Rare Wine Company, which deserves to be recognized for its dedication to delivering value to the consumer. At $295 per person, this dinner offered an unforgettable food and wine experience at a very reasonable price. One of our wines was clearly corked, but Rare Wine had a backup ready to go. Readers who attend tastings on a regular basis will recognize how unusual this level of professionalism and attention to detail has become.