The 1989 Gaiun Martinenga is as seductive a style of red wine as readers are likely to encounter. Its immense perfume of roses, cherries, smoke, and sweet fruit envelops the taster. The flavors are more intense and concentrated than the wine's medium ruby color would suggest. Drink this soft, explosively fruity, supple, complex wine over the next 10-12 years while waiting for some of the more rustic, fuller-bodied Barbarescos to mature. While I did not see the Martinenga offering in 1989, I did taste the two single vineyard offerings, the Gaiun Martinenga and the Camp Gros Martinenga. The local cognoscenti claim that the Gaiun section of the Martinenga vineyard, which abuts the famous Asili vineyard, produces smoother, more velvety-textured wines than the Camp Gros section, which abuts the Rabaja vineyard. The Marchesi di Gresy's La Martinenga vineyard is highly regarded by everyone in Barbaresco. This producer vinifies and bottles separately two parcels with La Martinenga called Camp Gros and Gaiun. This vineyard, which abuts both the esteemed Rabaja and Asili vineyards, is entirely owned by di Gresy. The style of wine that emerges is one of extraordinary finesse and elegance. In 1989 and 1990 di Gresy's wines are the finest I have tasted from this estate. In the past their emphasis on medium-weight, forward, lighter Barbarescos has tended to compromise this vineyard's full potential. The 1989s and 1990s, while offering the classic, elegant style favored by Marchesi di Gresy, possess more richness and concentration than preceding years. These are thrilling Barbarescos! Importer: Paterno Imports, Chicago, IL.