The 2004 Barbaresco Riserva Moccagatta suffers only by virtue of being placed among this group of phenomenal wines; most producers would be delighted to have this as their top Barbaresco. As is often the case, the Moccagatta is a relatively accessible, forward wine, but like the Rio Sordo, it has an unusual level of plumpness and inner sweetness that makes up for any complexity that may be missing. Sweet spices, plums, prunes and espresso are just some of the nuances to be found in this compelling wine. The Moccagatta should be one of the more accessible Riservas early on. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2022. Managing Director Aldo Vacca had some interesting things to say about the 2004 vintage in Barbaresco. “I wasn’t initially convinced about the quality of the vintage until I had the wines fermenting in the cellar, something I also experienced in 1978,” says Vacca. “ The summer wasn’t especially hot, but the Fall was gorgeous, and our harvest took place during the second half of October. Given that yields were on the high side, I felt we needed to be especially selective in the cellar, so we produced roughly 30% less of some of our Riservas by using only the best individual lots for wines like our Ovello, Montestefano and Moccagatta Riservas. Any lots we weren’t thrilled about went into our non-Riserva Barbaresco. In 2004 vineyard exposures were a huge factor in determining maturity, while 2005 was perhaps a touch more consistent throughout, but without the complexity and structure of the 2004s.” Readers who have a hard time finding the 2004s, shouldn’t fret, as the Produttori will also release Riservas for the 2005, 2006 and 2007 vintages, so there will be plenty of wine in the pipeline over the next few years. Given the weakness in the US dollar, readers may want to quickly snap up any remaining stocks of the 2001 Riservas as well. Importer: Vias Imports, New York, NY; tel. (212) 629-0200