The 2005 Barbaresco Vanotu is the biggest and ripest of this trio of Barbarescos. An expansive, generous wine, it possesses remarkable density and richness in its dark fruit, mint and sweet toasted oak. The wine continues to grow in the glass, gradually revealing its superb pedigree. Floral notes on the long finish provide lift and give the wine an element of grace that hasn’t always been present in past vintages. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2018. I was extremely impressed with these new releases from proprietor Giorgio Pelissero. Readers may also want to take a look at Issue 178 for notes on the estate’s value-priced wines. Importer: Vinifera Imports, Ronkonkoma, NY; tel. (631) 467-5907

The wine opens with thick density and a pretty garnet hue and is enhanced by earthy aromas of wet earth and black truffle. But there’s also chocolate, cinnamon and sweet allspice here and an unexpected herbal note on the close. The wine tastes linear and immediate with drying mineral notes.——M.L.(4/1/2009)—— 91