2015 Produttori del Barbaresco, Barbaresco, Rio Sordo Riserva

This wine usually falls somewhere in the middle of the Riserva continuum (starting with the most lithe and elegant wine and ending with the most powerful) presented by Produttori del Barbaresco in this knockout series of nine single-vineyard expressions. The 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo is another personal favorite. This group of Ovello, Rio Sordo, Asili and Rabajà (that sweet spot of neighboring vineyard sites in Barbaresco) is especially profound in 2015, striking a careful balance between elegance against power. The Rio Sordo offers tight and sharp fruit complete with a little tannic pinch or crunch on the close. Production is 13,333 bottles.

The 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo comes across as quite powerful and dense today. A few months ago it was more refined, but today I get the impression of a wine that is growing in bottle. As always, the Rio Sordo is a Barbaresco of textural suaveness and early appeal, relative to the more structured wines in this range. Spice, new leather, tobacco and cedar meld into the supple, resonant finish.