Extremely perfumed and pleasant on the nose with hibiscus, cherry blossom, orange peel and watermelon aromas that follow through to a medium body with very fine tannins with such lovely length. Beautiful. Very silky and fine. Exquisite. Drinkable but much better in three or four years.

One of the appellation's classic wines, the Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy 2020 Barbaresco Martinenga delivers a soft entry to the palate with subtle cherry and sweet raspberry. Those fruit tones are laced with dusty mineral and white licorice. The wine delivers medium-weight texture, but the finish remains long and polished over time. The tannins will soften with a few more years of bottle age. This is a production of 24,047 bottles hitting the market in fall 2023.

This wine pours from the bottle with a light ruby or garnet color. The Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Gresy 2017 Barbaresco Martinenga puts on a fascinating aromatic performance that starts off with candied fruit (like cherry Sucrets) followed by a touch of medicinal or balsamic herb that adds some Nebbiolo context to the larger picture. The wine shifts quickly, moving away from those initial aromas to embrace grounded earthy tones of chalk, limestone, cola and zesty ginger. The wine's pretty evolution in the glass and those subtle transitions are very attractive. The mouthfeel is fine and delicate, and the tannin is well tucked in and silky. This production is 14,412 bottles strong, to be released in September 2020.

Compared to the 2015 vintage that I tasted at the same time, the 2016 Barbaresco Martinenga is slightly more saturated and concentrated in terms of appearance. This wine shows a dense inner core with dark fruit flavors, tannins and lively acidity that will continue to find integration as the wine moves forward in time. In fact, compared to the 2015 vintage, my bet is this wine will enjoy a much longer bottle evolution.

This impressive wine opens to warm notes of dried cherry with camphor ash, licorice stick and balsam herb. The 2015 Barbaresco Martinenga is an articulate and complex wine that unveils new aromas with each swirl of the glass. It shows firmness and tightness at the core, a good indication of the wine's aging potential. However, what stands out most at this point in the wine's life is the ethereal and graceful nature of the bouquet. The wine is already open and generous and yet promises much more to come.