We had this wine last week with a simple pasta and homeade redsauce. Normally I’d reserve our Barbaresco bottles for bigger meals but we were feeling Italian last week and opened it anyway. The tannis were smoother than I expected from a 2009 and in fact the fruit was not as lively as I expected. This tasted more like a 2004 than a 2009 which was a pleasant suprise. Great translucent, brick color, also making it seem older than it was. There was also a distinct mineral undertone to the wine which gave it a nice, lasting finish. A really curious bottle but one I’d recommend, I think this would fool a lot of people at a blind wine tasting. Have it with a bigger meal though, it’s still a big wine.