Tasting Notes
Vinous 89
Good bright, full red. Slightly liqueur-like aromas of red cherry, raspberry, smoke, menthol and earth. The palate offers good winey concentration, with chewy, ripe cherry fruit currently a bit dominated by notes of torrefaction. Densely packed and youthfully closed, with tannins and a touch of tar currently cutting of the fruit on the back end. The pHs are actually a bit lower in the 2009s than they are in the 2008s, according to Vacca: 3.4-3.45 vs. 3.5-3.55.
Robert Parker 92
To my palate, the 2009 Barbaresco Riserva Pora is the most reflective of the warm vintage. It delivers an open, immediate style with dark fruit and spice aromas that are both ample and broad. The Riserva Pora shows hearty fruit fullness with round structure and fleshy intensity. The wine is layered and deep. These results suggest that this wine is appropriate for near term consumption, but also long term cellar aging. It is in a special position to offer either alternative although I am curious to know where its evolution will take it ten years from now.
Anticipated maturity: 2016-2028