The 2006 Barbaresco Asili is stunning. Silky Asili tannins frame a deeply expressive core of red berries, flowers, spices and anise, all of which come together beautifully in this sumptuous, layered Barbaresco. This will be a fascinating wine to follow, especially since it was only bottled in August, 2011. Today it is racy, sexy and flat-out compelling, but it is young and very primary. This is textbook Asili given a little more richness through low yields. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. You never know what to expect from Luca Roagna. That is one of the reasons a visit can’t possibly be boring, there are just too many new things to absorb with seemingly every tasting. Some things don’t change, however, including a decidedly traditional approach to vineyard work and winemaking which emphasizes late harvests, the use of natural yeasts and extended barrel aging. Roagna fans will be sad to learn that the estate recently lost access to the fruit they had been working with from Vigna Rionda. A few Riservas from that site are still aging in the cellar, but 2006 will be the last vintage of Roagna Riondas. In exchange, Roagna has a new Barolo from the Le Coste vineyard in Monforte. That wine appears to still be a work in progress. Everything else I tasted was superb, including the 2002 Barbaresco Crichet Paje. Readers should be aware that because of the limited production of many of these wines (including the 2002 Crichet Paje) Roagna has decided to release the wines as a mixed case of 12 bottles. Some of the single wines will naturally be harder to source on their own. Readers who want to learn more about Roagna may want to take a look at my recent video interview on www.erobertparker.com Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334-8191

The 2005 Barbaresco Asili is classic Asili, from the fragrant, open-knit bouquet, to the delicate red berry fruit to the silky, finessed tannins that grace the finish. This is a wonderfully sexy, graceful Barbaresco from Roagna that should drink well upon release. Given the wine’s modest structure, I am not sure how much upside there is for significant evolution in the cellar, but the Asili is drinking very nicely now, and should continue to do so for at least the next decade or so. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334-8191

The 2004 Barbaresco Asili is an incredibly silky yet powerful Barbaresco graced with superb purity. This is classic Asili; from the expressive, sweet bouquet to the soft fruit and the cashmere-like finish. Still quite young, this utterly graceful and convincing Barbaresco Asili is terrific. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. Roagna is one of the most fascinating properties in Piedmont. The family owns small, but choice, plots in some of the region's best vineyards. The estate makes a wide range of wines, but the Barbarescos and Barolos are the highlights. In top vintages there can be as many as three selections of Barbaresco (Barbaresco Paje, Barbaresco Riserva Paje and Barbaresco Crichet Paje) and two of Barolo (Barolo La Rocca e La Pira, Barolo Riserva La Rocca e La Pira). The wines are fermented in oak vats and remain on the skins until mid-December, after which they are aged in oak barrels for as many as a dozen years prior to being bottled. This year Roagna has three new wines; a Barbera made from vines in the La Rocca e La Pira vineyard in Castiglione Falletto, and small-production Barbarescos from the Asili and Montefico vineyards. Among the many highlights are the 2003 Barolo La Rocca e La Pira and Barbaresco Paje, which are both exceptional (there were no Riservas made that year), the 2004 Barbera d-Alba, the 2004 Barbaresco Asili, the 1995 Barolo Riserva La Rocca e La Pira and the 2000 Barbaresco Crichet Paje. As readers can deduce, the wines are usually released later than most and can be hard to find, but they are increasingly worth the effort. Quality has never been higher here, and as I have written before, Luca Roagna is one of Piedmont's most promising young producers. Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334-8191