The 1999 Barbera d'Alba Riserva Pozzo Dell'Annunziata (aged 18-25 months in new French oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered) is the standard bearer for modern-styled Barbera from Piedmont. The amazing 1999 boasts an inky black/ruby color along with a dazzling bouquet of melted licorice, blackberry and cherry fruit, truffles, vanilla, and Asian spices. Full-bodied, opulently-textured, and prodigiously long, this great Barbera will drink well for 7-8 years, although why wait? After the virtually perfect 1997 and 1998, it is good to see that Roberto Voerzio is actually human and can produce a wine that is merely prodigious as opposed to other-worldly. A Leonardo Locascio Selection, Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620