Once again we get that sweet note of baking spice or cinnamon in this classic Barbaresco. This is not my favorite vintage from La Spinona, but the 2012 Barbaresco Riserva Bricco Faset is accessible and ready. It shows robust, dark fruit characteristics.

The 2001 Barbaresco Riserva Bricco Faset emerges from the glass with an exotic array of black cherries, earthiness, leather, licorice and tobacco. This is a decidedly firm, old-style Barbaresco. The tannins dry out on the finish, but this remains a fascinating wine in terms of gauging the estate’s potential. At ten years of age, its hard to see this wine ever being in balance, at the same time the quality of the fruit appears to have been excellent. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2021. La Spinona is a curious producer. The wines often show very attractive fruit, yet they are typically very austere, even within the context of traditionally-made Barbaresco and Barolo. Personally, I believe there is a lot of untapped potential here.Importer: Frederick Wildman and Sons Ltd, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700