1989 Barbaresco Asili Riserva

The 1989 Barbaresco Riserva Asili is simply beautiful, as it fully captures the essence of this great site and vintage in classic Produttori style. A multi-dimensional, kaleidoscopic expression of roses, spices, minerals and red berries awaits in the glass, followed by sweet, silky tannins that caress the palate all the way through to the refined, ethereal close. Readers who seek to understand why Asili is considered one of Piedmont’s greatest vineyards will find all they need to know right here. This is a majestic Barbaresco! Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020. Produttori del Barbaresco has a long and distinguished track record of over-delivering, an especially notable achievement considering the winery is a cooperative. Member growers farm grapes in virtually all of the most prized vineyards in the village of Barbaresco. The Produttori were nowhere near as consistently outstanding in the late 1980s 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 Produttori’s 1989s and 1990s today is virtually impossible. Because of their 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 Barbaresco’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.

Our flight of 1989s was equally inspiring. If well-stored, the wines can still improve over the coming years. With one exception they were all gorgeous on this night. The 1989 Barbaresco Riserva Asili was simply beautiful. This was another kaleidoscopic, multi-dimensional wine that floated on the palate in a textbook expression of sweet perfumed fruit, roses and spices. Simply put, this was classic Asili at its very finest.

The overall quality of Produttori's 1989 vintage is superb. However, the wines all taste differently and vary in intensity, texture, and extract levels. Combining extraordinary richness with great purity and finesse, the 1989 Barbaresco Asili is a headturning, hedonistic example of Barbaresco at its finest. The wine exhibits layers of sweet, opulent, rich fruit, and a decadent bouquet of explosive red and black fruits, herbs, and spices. This impeccably crafted, well-delineated Barbaresco can be drunk now or cellared for 15-20 years. The Produttori del Barbaresco is unquestionably a terrific source for Barbarescos that rival the best made in Piedmont. Although there is a tendency to scoff at wines made by cooperatives, the quality of the wines from this superbly run operation is as high as that from any highly committed, passionate estate-bottler. I have been an enthusiastic admirer, buyer, and drinker of this coop's wines since the 1978 vintage. Given the superb quality of the 1989s and 1990s, these wines represent the finest values from these two great Piedmontese vintages. The cooperative is quick to declassify any Barbaresco to a generic Nebbiolo if it is not of an acceptably high quality level. They harvest and vinify separately as many as ten vineyards, of which I tasted seven in 1989 and four single vineyard cuvees in 1990. Most Italian wine experts consider the Rabaja and Asili to be their two best bottlings. As my notes and scores attest, that is akin to splitting hairs at this high level of quality. The Produttori del Barbaresco gets my vote as the best run and most committed cooperative regarding quality, and, most importantly for prospective purchasers, a source for exceptional Barbaresco wine values! Importer: Vias Imports, Great Neck, NY.