NV PdB Riserva Asili @ Hearth, NYC, 4/22/2025

Neb Vinous Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Asili Vertical
@ Hearth, East Village, NYC, 4/22/2025

A group of Neb Heads (most of them from the Nebbiolo group formed through the Vinous forum) met to check out 10 vintages of Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Asili.

For more background on the wines of Produttori del Barbaresco, check out the FWG's page on Produttori del Barbaresco.

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We met at Hearth, 403 East 12th Street (at 1st Avenue) in the East Village at 6pm.
The food (except the first course) and service were excellent.

The open kitchen on the way to the private back room where we ate:

The menu and excellent bread:

Flight 1: 1978, 1982
CAMPO ROSSO LETTUCES: caciocavallo, farro verde, shaved market vegetables.
This was so high in vinegar that I could barely eat it. A terrible match to these wines.

1978 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted at 10am.] Lovely mature nose of bark mulch and dried cherries. Quite mature in the mouth with sour cherries and forest floor. Past its prime. Drink up! (89 points)
1982 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted at 10am.] The 78 was pasted its prime, but this is right at its peak. Wow, smooth, silky with black fruit and spice. Long, juicy, complex. My last bottle, but we caught it just right. (95 points)

Flight 2: 1990, 2001
WILD STRIPED BASS: peas, carrots, tarragon.
Lovely, but not a great match to the wines.

1990 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Opened at 11am. Double-decanted at 3:30 for 2 hours.] Gorgeous nose of rich black fruit. Long and delicious. Still some tannin, but drinking beautifully tonight. At its peak. Others thought it was off, but I thought it was the equal of the 82. (95 points)
2001 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted for two hours at 11am.] Black fruit and licorice nose. Sweet red fruit on the palate. Long, complex, delicious, but could use 5-10 years more. (94–96 points)

Flight 3: 2005, 2008
CAMPANELLE: ramps, green onion, spring greens, stracciatella.
Dish of the night. This was perfect.

2005 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted for 45 minutes at 8am.] Muted black fruit nose. Long, rich, elegant in the mouth with loads of black fruit. Too young, but will be excellent in 5-10 years. (93–? points)
2008 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted for 45 minutes at 8am.] Sweet black fruit and licorice in the nose. Silky and lovely with lots of black fruit and licorice. Long, complex, and delicious. Like a lot of 2008s, this has excellent structure, but tons of rich fruit so that the tannins barely show. Reminds me of vintages like 1982 and 1990. (95 points)

Flight 4: 2011, 2013
ROASTED SPATCHCOCK CHICKEN: leek butter, snap peas, polenta.
This was delicious!

2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted at 11:30am.] Black cherry nose. Surprisingly tannic. Not enough fruit. I doubt this will age well. Others like it much better. (88 points)
2013 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted for 3 hours at 2:30pm.] Wow! Incredible harmony and balance. Long, complex. This is special. WOTN for me. Ethereal and elegant with great structure. (96 points)

Flight 1: 2016, 2019
With the chicken.

2016 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Slow-O'd for ~3-4 hours.] Gorgeous nose of red and black fruit, tar and spice. Quite tannic, but well balanced. Needs at least 10 years, but should be great. (94–? points)
2019 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Asili - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
[Double-decanted for 5 hours around 1pm.] Black berries in the nose. Elegant and delicious. I suspect it will shut down soon, but be beautiful in 10-15 years. (93 points)

Dessert
CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT MOUSSE BAR: espresso caramel, candied almonds.
Small and yummy. Just right.

Summary
I missed a similar Rabaja dinner in January. The group seemed to like those wines better. I really enjoyed this vertical. We had a nice selection of older and younger wines from top vintages.

All the wines:

My tasting notes posted from CellarTracker.