The 2007 Barbaresco Vigne Erte Bricco di Neive is a big, powerful wine loaded with racy, super-ripe fruit. Initially the fruit is candied to the point of being nearly excessively sweet, but with considerable time in the glass the wine settles down and finds its inner balance. This remains a somewhat quirky wine that will require a bit of patience. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022. Importers: Indigenous Selections, Fort Lauderdale FL; tel. (954) 530-4021; David Vincent Selection, Union, NJ; tel. (908) 397-9117; Bianco Rosso Imports, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 781-0702

Here’s a rich and densely extracted Barbaresco from the Erte vineyard in Neive that will appeal to those who like a bigger, more extracted style of Nebbiolo. The wine is bursting with intense layers of black fruit, prune and plum followed by sweet tones of exotic spice. The mouthfeel is chewy, tart and very firm.——M.L.(12/1/2010)—— 92