The utterly perfect, dense ruby/purple-colored 1996 Barbaresco Riserva Asili is a heroic offering brilliantly displaying both power and elegance. The bouquet develops incrementally, offering up aromas of black raspberries, cherries, cigar box, licorice, and leather. The wine impresses with its nuances as well as its extraordinarily rich, dense mid-palate, and a finish that lasts nearly a minute. There is huge tannin, but equally massive concentration, extract, and overall harmony. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025. A Leonardo Locascio Selection, Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620