Pio Cesare's 1997 Barbaresco Il Bricco (about 800 cases) is a dense, rich, full-bodied, powerful effort with evidence of barrique, but wonderfully sweet black cherry and raspberry fruit with notes of spice box, fruitcake, soy, and licorice. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 12-15 years. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-89000

Dark ruby red. Wonderful blackberry, dried mushroom and fresh meat on the nose. Full body, with velvety tannins and a long caressing finish. Still very tight, yet there is a richness underneath it all.--1997 Italian blind retrospective. Best after 2009. 730 cases made.??–JS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barbaresco Select to Add