The 2009 Barbaresco Riserva Muncagota opens to a pretty garnet color and soft layers of cherry fruit, wild berry and blue flower. The wine presents a ready, immediate quality that makes it appropriate for near-term consumption. The Muncagota vineyard gets the morning sun with its southeast exposures. Its compact soils contribute to the heft and concentration of the mouthfeel. In cooler years, this vineyard offers pretty balsam and menthol characteristics. The site is slightly cooler than Rabajà. You only get a distant hint of those herbal characteristics in the 2009 vintage.