Moccagatta Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin 2021 750ml

The 2019 Barbaresco Bric Balin is going to be superb, once it softens. All the energy of this cool year comes through in a mid-weight, focused Barbaresco endowed with real drive. Readers need to be patient with the 2019, but it’s a gorgeous wine in the making. (Antonio Galloni)

The 2019 Barbaresco Bric Balin is distinguished by lots of wild berry fruit and a spicy hint of crushed white pepper that gives lift and immediacy to the bouquet. The tannins are quite firm in this wine and require more time to soften with bottle age. However, Bric Balin delivers overall elegance and length. This is a beautiful wine that is built for the long haul. (Monica Larner)

The Moccagatta 2021 Barbaresco Bric Balin does not quite have the high tones of the Basarin. Indeed, the tenor here is baritone, with dark fruit, spice and iris root. In terms of mouthfeel, this wine offers a very fine and silky texture that gives the wine a polished or glossy feel. Bric Balin is a proprietary name, but the fruit comes from the Muncagota MGA. This is an 8,000-bottle release. (Monica Larner)

Moccagatta is one of the most consistent estates in Barbaresco. Year in and year out, the Minuto family makes juicy, opulent Barbarescos that can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring. Very little has changed here in recent years. The Minutos prefer short ferments and aging in French oak, both of which exalt fruit and result in the supple character that has defined these wines for several decades. (Antonio Galloni)

Spice box, toasted nuts, wild cherries and sandalwood on the nose. Firm and chewy, full-bodied, with broad and muscular tannins. Pretty wood spice. Needs a few years to come together. Try in 2027.

A saturated dark ruby color, the 2021 Barbaresco Bric Balin reveals a good deal of luxurious oak spice that’s forward in the glass with aromas of black cherry liqueur, toasted baking spice, cedar, dried orange peel, and espresso. Medium to full-bodied, it saturates the palate with ripe tannins, concentrated richness of fruit, and evenly balanced acidity that lasts through the long finish, with lovely undercurrents of dark minerals. A modern style, but with a lot of depth and complexity, it deserves cellaring to see if it will harmonize, and I do think it will. Drink 2027-2047.

Well-marked by vanilla and toasty oak, this red supports cherry and currant flavors with vivid acidity and assertive tannins. Reveals ample fruit, ending with a hint of mint on the lingering finish. Best from 2025 through 2040. 1,300 cases made, 400 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)

Black cherries, strawberries and fresh flowers with stems on the nose. Medium to full body, firm tannins and a slightly chewy finish. Vanilla is coming through from the wood now, but it should come together with bottle age. Try after 2024. (James Suckling)