Rivella Serafino Montestefano Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2013

We were delighted to have the opportunity a few years ago to taste through seven vintages of the Rivella Barbaresco dating back to the fabled 1971, which more than lived up to its lofty reputation. The wines were lessons in their respective vintages, with common threads among the bottles of poise, balance and impeccably judged structure. Montestefano has a reputation for being the most Barolo-like of the Barbaresco crus, but the characterization is not entirely accurate for Rivella's wines. Sure, these possess all the bones to age as well as top tier Barolo, but they are not tough, walled up wines, as Barolo from producers who toe the traditional line like Rivella can be in their youth. There is a freshness and energy to these wines that undoubtedly stems from Teobaldo's light hand in the cellar but also from the calcareous, limestone soils into which Rivellaand#39;s old vines have extended their deep roots. His '13andnbsp;is shaping up to be a wine for the ages. The wine is a bright ruby color, and although it exhibits plenty ofandnbsp;finesse and lifted aromatics, it has a quiet, sinewy power that will allow it to mature and soften beautifully over the next decade or more.

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