Vinous

• By Antonio Galloni
  A Look Back at the 2004 & 2005 Barbarescos (Jun 2016), 6/1/2016 (link)

  (Cantina Del Pino Barbaresco) Subscribe to see review text.

The World of Fine Wine

• September 2008, Issue #21 (link)

  (Renato Vacca Cantina del Pino) Subscribe to see review text.

Vinous

• By Stephen Tanzer
  November/December 2007, IWC Issue #135 (link)

  (Cantina del Pino Barbaresco) Subscribe to see review text.

• By Antonio Galloni
  Piedmont Report (Oct 2007) (link)

  (Cantina Del Pino Barbaresco) Subscribe to see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  8/14/2007 (link)

  (Cantina del Pino Barbaresco) 2004 Barbaresco Dear Friends, I’ve been working on this for what seems like an entire year (since the 2003 came out) and this one needs to be acted upon pretty quickly. I rarely say that but the 2004 vintage in Barolo and Barbaresco has people doing strange things with allocations and pricing (see: 2005 Burgundy) and I had one chance to grab this at last year’s price before it goes up a full margin (Galloni’s review last year of the 2003 brought much attention to this wine but it did not help things from a pricing perspective. This normally well-priced wine now has its intentions squarely on the big time (and big time pricing) but its niche was always been value for money so it makes my job far more difficult. I’m still traveling today so I will try to be succinct (probably not), but If there was ever an area that your wine dollar was safe to invest, it’s 2004 Barbaresco and Barolo. From one of the most anticipated vintages since 1989, the 2004 version of this wine is like the 2003 Felsina Rancia vs. the 2004 - it’s just not even in the same league. The 2003 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco was lovely but the 2004 is, well, 2004. After negotiating with a multitude of producers and insiders in Piedmont over the anticipated 2004 stable from the region, I can say with an educated hand - this is one of the lowest prices you will see for a 2004 Barbaresco of quality. Renato Vacca (the proprietor of Cantina del Pino) used to sell his grapes to the Produttori del Barbaresco but decided in the mid 1990s to start bottling his own wine as the quality of fruit justified the decision (his grapes were the source for some of the Produtorri’s most classic bottlings circa 1989-1990). From a melange of Barbaresco’s cooler sites, Vacca’s intent with this bottling is to express the terroir in a quasi-traditional way with delicate color and flavor extraction circa 2007. The style is cleanly made and the focus is on the freshness and depth each vintage carries. This wine is usually vinified in a combination of older barrels, a few new barrels and stainless to give him the ultimate painter’s palate to work with (it changes in each vintage). In 2004, the Barbaresco is about one thing - ageing ability. The natural acidity and impact of the vintage may only be rivaled by 1978 and 1989 and the clarity of rosewater on the palate is more than memorable. Like 2005 in Burgundy, the vintage made the wine and the best producers simply sat back and allowed nature to express her glory. This wine is on its way directly from the cellars at Cantina del Pino and will arrive with perfect provenance at the end of September. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as a one-time shot at value in a vintage that is shaping up to be the most expensive in history. ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at this price (we will have a second shipment in December with price dependant on exchange rates): 2004 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy7560