1996 Barbaresco Riserva Pora

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.

Following a difficult patch during the early '90s (there were no vineyard designated wines between 1990 and 1995), this excellent co operative will offer a full range of cru bottlings in the '95, '96 and '97 vintages. In fact, the '95s will be bottled as riserva which means that they cannot legally be released until the year 2000. "Using the riserva designation forces you to wait," says export director Aldo Vacca, who obviously believes that the wine benefits from being held back before being put on the market. Nothing is done in a hurry here. The wines are traditionally made, although the Produttori recently began using the vertical stainless steel fermentation tanks that have become so popular in the region. The Barbarescos are aged in 35 to 100 hectoliter casks, though Vacca notes that in the future no casks larger than 50 hectoliters will be used. x000D x000D x000D According to Vacca, Barbaresco prices increased nearly 250% between 1990 and 1997; in fact, he notes, the official base price of Barbaresco caught up to Barolo with the '97 vintage. The Produttori pays a substantial premium to its member growers to ensure quality and supply. At today prices, notes Vacca, it is a financial sacrifice to bottle Barbaresco juice as Nebbiolo Langhe. In fact, the price of the Produttori 1997 nebbiolo had to be raised by 30%. Vacca describes the 1996 Barbarescos as full and round, better balanced than 1997, which is "more of a beast, a bit disjointed today due to the even riper fruit and higher alcohol levels." I tasted a selection of crus from the '95, '96 and '97 vintages.