Produttori del Barbaresco Ovello Riserva 2017 (750ML)

94+ WA / 94 WS / 94 VM / 93 WE / 93 WI

One of the bigger productions (with 17,744 bottles) in the Produttori del Barbaresco's portfolio is the 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello. All of the Riservas in this vintage are characterized by especially exuberant and bold aromas, and this bottle is a prime example. Cassis, wild cherry, tobacco, rusty nail and licorice build intensity. The wine is tapered and silky in texture, but it also offers a good amount of power (and 15% alcohol) to carry it through the aging process.--Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate

Taut and sinewy, boasting cherry, black currant, grass, iron and tar notes. Powerful tannins drive the finish, which is compact for now. In the end, this is lightly astringent, but has plenty of drive and should find equilibrium with time. Best from 2026 through 2043. —B.S., Wine Spectator

The 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello is a heady, explosive wine. I don't think I have ever tasted an Ovello from the Produttori with this much heft. The strong mineral and saline accents typical of this site are present, but they are matched pound for pound by notable mid-palate richness and intensity in its fruit. The 2017 is a brooding powerhouse that needs time to unwind. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

Menthol, star anise and blue flower aromas mingle with botanical herb. The full-bodied palate recalls cherry extract, licorice, fruitcake and baking spice alongside densely woven, fine-grained tannins. Drink through 2029. - Kerin O’Keefe, Wine Enthusiast

The 2017 Produttori del Barbaresco Ovello Riserva shows dark brambly fruit with heady, fragrant, hay-like notes on the nose. The tannins have a silky and rounded texture and there is a mouth-watering freshness on the finish, slightly warming, and a green herb note comes and goes. The Ovello vineyard is the most northerly of these vineyard, higher altitude and a little further from the Tanaro so creating a slightly cooler mesoclimate and a lot more clay in the soil which may be why the fruit flavors are a little darker and greener in this wine. Wait 1-2 years and drink up to 20 years. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent