Wine Advocate 95 points - The 2005 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi offers up an attractive core of bright, candied red fruit, roses and spices. Today it comes across as quite vibrant and fresh, suggesting a minimum of several years of cellaring are needed before the wine starts drinking at its finest. The tannins build on the long finish, but they are also beautifully balanced. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025.
"A knock-out effort. A dark, brooding wine it reveals an array of dark cherries, spices, tar and smoke in a powerful, sinewy style. With each passing moment, it seemingly turns more and more classic in the glass, with only the super-ripe fruit serving as a reminder that this is a more contemporary wine. The balance and use of oak are both masterful. It is easily the finest wine Giorgio Rivetti has ever made, and is also the first wine in the estate-s history that can truly challenge for a spot in the top echelon of the zone. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019." - RP 95
"Good medium-deep red. Reticent but pure aromas of red fruits, marzipan and menthol, plus a suggestion of grapefruit. Then large-scaled and sweeter than the nose would suggest, with a flavor of red fruit syrup lifted by a repeating suggestion of citrus peel and complemented by nicely integrated oak. Finishes very long and sweet, with broad, fine tannins and exceptional mouth coverage." - ST IWC 93
"Plum and berry aromas, with hints of fresh herbs. Full, round and smooth, showing lots of berry, toasty oak and cappuccino, with a long finish. Best after 2012. 1,200 cases made." - WS 92
