1999 Barbera d'Asti Quorum

This cooperative effort from a group of Piedmontese producers displays the spectacular quality that can be achieved with Barbera. The brilliant oenologist, Riccardo Cotarella, is the magic behind this wine. Made from modest yields of 35 hectoliters per hectare, the 1999 Quorum experienced malolactic in barrel, with pump-overs and punch-downs, and was bottled without filtration after spending 10 months in 100% new French oak. A spectacular achievement for this varietal, it may not have the nobility to age longer than 6-8 years, but for drinking over the next 7-8 years, there is no doubting its explosive qualities as well as its extraordinary ripeness and richness. Its opaque purple color is followed by a sumptuous bouquet of black fruits, coffee, vanillin, chocolate, and licorice. This super-endowed, full-bodied, rich, intensely-concentrated, opulent Barbera is prodigious. Anticipated maturity: now-2010. A Leonardo Locascio Selection, Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620