Tasting Notes
Vinous 90-91
Medium red. Aromas of redcurrant, red cherry, minerals and cocoa powder. Sweet, lush and deep, with complex flavors of dried flowers, red berries and minerals. Comes across as considerably fresher and more harmonious than the ’97 classico, which shows more of a dried-fruit character. Firm structure gives freshness and clarity to the flavors. Finishes tannic but not dry.
Robert Parker 90
Pio Cesare’s 1997 Barbaresco Il Bricco (about 800 cases) is a dense, rich, full-bodied, powerful effort with evidence of barrique, but wonderfully sweet black cherry and raspberry fruit with notes of spice box, fruitcake, soy, and licorice. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 12-15 years. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-89000
Anticipated maturity: 2003-2016