The 1998 Barbera d'Asti Riserva della Familia is a 100% new oak-aged cuvee that had the "full monty" garage wine treatment of malolactic in barrel, 18 months in new wood, and 32 months in the bottle prior to release. No shy wine at 13.7% alcohol, it comes from a vineyard planted on pure limestone. More Bordeaux-like than Piedmontese, it offers up notes of white pepper, cedar, spice box, graphite, black fruits, and toasty vanilla. Dense, full-bodied, deep, and concentrated, with a 40-second finish, this superb Barbera d'Asti is totally different from anything else I have tasted from Piedmont. Drink it over the next 5-6 years. A Leonardo Locascio Selection, Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620