Giacosa/Bruno Barbaresco Asili Riserva 1996

98+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "I would never dream of opening one of my bottles of 1996 Asili Riserva from Bruno Giacosa right now, as the wine is still a good decade or two away from really blossoming, but when a friend generously served one, I was very, very happy to check in on the wine and see how it is progressing! The bouquet has started to stir nicely and now offers up a pure and complex blend of cherries, licorice, road tar, a gorgeous base of Asili’s inimitable terroir, red curry, a touch of fennel seed and a gentle topnote of fresh oregano. On the palate the wine is very deep, full-bodied and tangy, with unmistakable profundity in its future. The core here is bottomless, the tannins are ripe and seamlessly integrated, and the focus and grip on the very, very long, perfectly balanced finish are haunting. This has been a legend in the making since it was released, and though it is still at least a dozen years away from really starting to drink with a bit of generosity, its inherent beauty is already very easy to read. Just be patient, as it will probably be a perfect wine when it is truly ready to drink! 2030-2100. (Mar/Apr 2017)"

98 points Robert Parker: "The utterly perfect, dense ruby/purple-colored 1996 Barbaresco Asili (Red Label Riserva) is a heroic offering brilliantly displaying both power and elegance. The bouquet develops incrementally, offering up aromas of black raspberries, cherries, cigar box, licorice, and leather. The wine impresses with its nuances as well as its extraordinarily rich, dense mid-palate, and a finish that lasts nearly a minute. There is huge tannin, but equally massive concentration, extract, and overall harmony. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025. (Jun 2001)"

97 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "Things kicked up several notches with a flight of Barbareschis from the famed Asili vineyard. Asili is in the village of Barbaresco, where the wines are generally more feminine than in Neive. The best wines from this site have great aromatics and fine, silky tannins. The 1996 Barbaresco Asili Riserva was an infant, but its potential impossible to miss. Sweet, expressive aromatics and beautifully layered fruit lingered on the eternal finish. (Oct 2010)"

95 points Wine Spectator: "Lots of raspberry, mushroom and black cherry, with a hint of vanilla. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a long, fruity finish. Still a little reserved, but shows lovely fruit. A gorgeous wine. Goes on and on.--1996 Piedmont retrospective. Best after 2008. 1,190 cases made. (2007)"

94+ points Stephen Tanzer (International Wine Cellar): "Saturated ruby-red color. Knockout nose combines plum liqueur, cherry, dried rose and menthol; complex, vibrant and perfumed. Then extremely young and sharply focused, with powerful acid spine and tannic backbone giving the superbly sweet, thoroughly ripe flavors great cut and thrust. But this extremely dense Barbaresco is still an infant. Smoke and animal notes add complexity. Finishes with huge, sweet, molar-coating tannins and explosive length. This classically styled Barbaresco has all the components for greatness. (Nov 2000)"

Three Glasses, Gambero Rosso: "This intensely garnet wine, whose bouquet is still a tad closed but which can still show aromas of liquorice and tar, is a pure explosion of power. In a few years from now, it will be a historic Barbaresco, remembered as one of the greatest nebbiolo-based wines of all time. (2002)"

Note on provenance: We procured this wine in December 2015 as part of a stellar parcel from a longtime collector and client of WHWC. This collector acquired all of these wines upon release and stored them at a professional wine storage facility since original purchase.