The Rizzi 2020 Barbaresco Nervo (with just 5,000 bottles made) reveals a lean and luminous appearance with a deep ruby shine. The bouquet is unexpected with crushed flower, cassis and a hint of cola or lavender essence. I also get a lot of tar, licorice and campfire ash. Nervo hits good balance between complexity and intensity, and although this vintage is accessible overall, it offers all the basic pleasures of Nebbiolo.

The Rizzi 2019 Barbaresco Nervo has plenty of dark fruit and plum that are delivered in a clear shot from the bouquet. This mid-weight Nebbiolo shows a good amount of energy and freshness that will play important roles as the wine ages forward in time. It finishes with playful hints of sage and grilled herb.

The 2018 Barbaresco Nervo shows extra ripeness with aromas of dried strawberry or wild cherry, which is unexpected because this was a coolish growing season in Treiso. On the palate, the wine is short and simple really, with light tannins and good acidity. There's just not that much intensity in this Nervo, but it still works fine with a side of fried eggplant, or the like, to assist you with the 15% alcohol content. This is a release of just 2,400 bottles.

Of these new releases from Rizzi, the 2017 Barbaresco Nervo is my favorite. That carefully assembled combination of fruit, minerals and Nebbiolo spice (with licorice and aniseed) is what I look for in a Barbaresco. This was not the easiest growing season by any stretch. The vintage was plagued by very cold weather during the first part of the year, followed by scorching heat during the summer. However, the folks at Rizzi have managed to preserve the freshness and linearity of that delicate Nebbiolo fruit. I would recommend a medium-term drinking window in the case of this wine, of which a precious 3,800 bottles were produced.

The 2016 Barbaresco Nervo is a thickly or loosely textured expression that offers more power and richness than your standard Nebbiolo from this appellation. This wine is robust and nicely concentrated and pushes forward over the palate with great determination. After a few years in the bottle, you might serve this with Piedmont's classic finanziera, a hearty peasant's stew of sweetbreads and other innards.