2016 - Barbaresco Asili Riserva, Bruno Giacosa

Packaged in its distinctive red label, the 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Asili is a rich and profound wine with incredible depth and dimension. Bruna Giacosa skipped over the 2015 vintage because she felt that the fruit was not poised for long aging. From the 2014 vintage, we jump to this 2016 expression, a wine that Bruna says reminds her of the epic 2001 and 2004 vintages. She also loves the 2017 vintage, which I look forward to tasting next year. This wine is incredibly precise and sharp; however, the volume and generous fruit weight promises a long aging future. The aromas veer toward red berry, cherry and cassis, and the darker black fruit tones that you might expect are less prominent in the Asili. The wine majestically captures the elegance and the power of this iconic vintage. Production is 11,000 bottles, 1,500 magnums and 200 Jeroboams.

Crimson label for this wine from a famous 2.5-ha site that faces south and has a high percentage of sand. Asili is usually relatively light and elegant. Just six months in bottle (after 32 months in barrel) before release. From a great vintage such as comes along about every 25 years: good snow in winter, good budding and regular ripening are needed. From early July there was very good diurnal temperature variation. Picked from 10 October. Very healthy grapes. Good phenolic maturation. Released in 2021.Bright garnet. Pale rim. Mature nose. Solid and concentrated with lots of fine tannin in this vintage. But much lighter than the Rocche del Falletto Riserva 2016. (JR)