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• Score: 95 Vintage 2017 Wine Spectator Presents a bright, pure expression of cherry, strawberry, rose and grassy aromas and flavors underscored by a vein of minerality, with tannins that flex their muscles on the long finish. Intense but balanced, with tension that bodes well for future evolution. Best from 2026 through 2043. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2017 Wine Enthusiast Mountain hay, cedar, new leather and pipe tobacco aromas take center stage. Full-bodied and concentrated, the savory palate offers fleshy black cherry, licorice and botanical herb set against a backbone of close-grained tannins. A minty note lingers on the close. Drink through 2029. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2017 Wine Advocate The 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota plays some of its best cards in terms of texture, offering silky tannins, firmness and a long-lasting veil of fruit flavors. Cassis, wild cherry, camphor ash, spice and iron ore are aromatic protagonists. This wine is lean and compact but very linear and focused. Like the other Riservas in this group of new releases, the wine is fermented in steel and aged in large oak casks for 32 months. 10,000 bottles were produced. Produttori del Barbaresco has been hitting it out of the ballpark these past years with a string of excellent vintages that resulted in the production of their entire line of Riservas. However, that good momentum comes to an end because the Riservas were not made in 2018. That vintage saw all the fruit blended into one non-MGA Barbaresco. And with the 2017 Riservas reviewed here, you might find these bottles hard to find. Production was 30% lower in this growing season because of a very careful fruit selection process. In fact, Aldo Vacca calls 2017 a "roller coaster vintage with frost, then hail, then a summer drought." Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2017 Vinous Media The 2017 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota is one of the lighter wines in this range. Floral and medium in body, the 2017 gives the impression of a wine that will open earlier than some of the others. It, too, has pretty imposing tannins though, so a few years in bottle are advisable. Crushed flowers, sweet red cherry, mint and white pepper linger. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2016 Wine and Spirits Muncagota’s southeast-facing slopes yielded an exciting wine in the balanced 2016 vintage. Its red-cherry and raspberry flavors are tangy and precise, drawn out by vibrant acidity as the wine takes on notes of licorice and soft herbs. The freshness and clarity of fruit make the wine so enticing now, yet it’s destined to give even more with time in the cellar. As one of our tasters noted, this is everything you want from a Riserva in a good vintage. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 96 Vintage 2016 Wine Advocate The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota stands out in this group of nine for the slightly more mineral-driven definition on the bouquet and the bigger textural impact and structure of the mouthfeel. There is plenty of wild fruit and cherry, but the wine's aromas also veer toward crushed stone, iron ore, spice and candied orange peel. You feel the impact on the palate, thanks to integrated tannins, freshness and an elegant dose of fruit or phenolic weight. Fruit for this wine is sourced from vineyards owned by the Bellora, Lignana and Viglino families. Production for Muncagota in this vintage is 11,157 bottles. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2016 Wine Spectator Balsamic notes of juniper, eucalyptus and pine align with floral, cherry and black currant flavors in this supple, well-structured red. Balanced and long, with a lingering aftertaste of rose, cherry and mineral. Best from 2024 through 2043. 1,388 cases made, 350 cases imported. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2016 Vinous Media The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota continues this tasting of frankly awe-inspiring wines. Rich, deep and super-expressive, the 2016 hits all the right notes. Black cherry, plum, spice, leather, licorice emerge, but only with great reluctance. The Muncagota is another wine in this range that clearly needs time. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 97 Vintage 2015 Wine Enthusiast Rose, red berry and star anise aromas align with earthy whiffs of forest floor and new leather. The full-bodied, delicious palate doles out succulent Morello cherry, black raspberry, licorice and chopped mint set against a backbone of firm but refined tannins. It's already gorgeous but will be even better with just a few more years of bottle age. Drink 2022–2030 Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2015 Wine Advocate The Produttori del Barbaresco 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota shows beautifully in this sunny and warm vintage, producing intense and compelling primary fruit with wild cherry, plum and black currant. Compared to the other Riservas, the fruit profile of Muncagota is darker and richer. More significant is the role the tannins play in this wine. They contribute to a long and firm spinal cord that gives structure and muscle mass. This Barbaresco Riserva shows an affinity to shaved truffles over egg pasta, or gamey fowl such as duck or pigeon. Some 16,666 bottles were made. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2015 Wine Spectator On the lean side for 2015, with wild herb accents to the core of cherry and plum flavors, this is fluid and bright, with a line of tannins building on the finish. This expands nicely, filling out and lingering. Best from 2023 through 2038. 1,388 cases made, 350 cases imported. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2015 Wine Spectator On the lean side for 2015, with wild herb accents to the core of cherry and plum flavors, this is fluid and bright, with a line of tannins building on the finish. This expands nicely, filling out and lingering. Best from 2023 through 2038. 1,388 cases made, 350 cases imported. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2015 Vinous Media The 2015 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota is sensual and super-expressive. I won't be surprised if it turns out to be one of the overachievers in this range. Like the Rio Sordo, the Muncagota is one of the more laid-back, mid-weight wines in the lineup, but what impresses most is a real sense of harmony. Silky and open-knit in feel, with lovely aromatic top notes, the Muncagota is so inviting today. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2014 Wine Advocate The 2014 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota is beautifully polished and bright, with dark berry fruit, ripe cherry, crushed stone and pressed flowers. The wine is compact and firm, and you feel the tannins and power in the mouth. The Muncagota remains slightly more closed in terms of the bouquet, but this will open up with some time. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2014 Wine Enthusiast Elegantly structured, this vibrant wine opens with aromas of underbrush, rose petal, red woodland berry and a whiff of new leather. The graceful palate boasts great energy and is delicately delicious, delivering juicy red cherry, pomegranate, star anise and white pepper. Polished tannins show some grip on the lingering finish. Drink 2020–2029. KERIN O’KEEFE Shelf Talker Full Page Review