The 2009 Barbaresco Gaiun Martinenga is aged in French barrique and this additional contact with oak has given the wine the extra legs its needs to cope with the challenges of the vintage. It opens with a sultry, dark appearance and delivers earthy aromas of underbrush, button mushroom, hummus, dried berries and pressed flowers. It follows through to the palate with a refined, but streamlined feel. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2022. Very few people can match the energy and enthusiasm of Alberto di Gresy, one of the true gentlemen of Italian wine. Of his various holdings, none is more impressive than the 11-hectare Martinenga cru. It opens like a veritable amphitheater of grapevines with the winery positioned where an imaginary orchestra pit could be. This stunning vineyard is characterized by south-facing exposures and blue marl soils for the production of some of the area’s finest and most elegant wines. If I were to draw a list of the ten most beautiful vineyards in Italy, Martinenga would surely be among them. Importer: Dalla Terra Winery Direct, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-5405

The estate’s 2008 Barbaresco Gaiun boasts a serious core of fruit, but it is far too young to be fully appreciated today. Juicy dark cherries, spices and leather blossom beautifully in this relatively large-scaled wine for Marchesi di Gresy. The immediate, fruit-forward style of Gaiun is tempered by the super-classic, cold vintage. Elements of roundness on the long, textured finish are inviting, but the 2008 is best left alone for a few years. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2028. Marchesi di Gresy is one of the most beautiful estates in Piedmont. Nestled mid-slope within the amphitheater-shaped Martinenga vineyard, the winery provides spectacular views of Barbaresco. Martinenga itself spans a cross section of vineyards that starts at Asili on one end and ends at Rabaja on the other. Not bad. Most of the vineyards are planted with the Rose clone of Nebbiolo, which is the main reason the estate’s wines are typically light to medium in body when they are young. With time in the bottle, the Barbareschi often put on weight, although they remain on the ligher side of things. More recently the estate has undertaken a gradual replanting with the goal of introducing more modern clones. I tasted a wide range of wines during my most recent visit, including a number of older vintages. I was quite taken with the 2003 Barbareschi, which have aged very well despite the mixed reputation of the vintage. Among the Barbareschi, I tend to prefer the Camp Gros, which is aged in cask, over the Gaiun (aged in barrique), as the Camp Gros is usually more finessed with bottle age. Importer: Dalla Terra, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-5405.

The Barbaresco Gaiun has long been the estate’s most fruit-driven, supple Barbaresco. The 2006 possesses exceptional balance, particularly in the integration of the French oak. Initially bright, the wine turns darker in the glass as the fruit begins to emerge. This shows an attractive roundness on the palate, but with a touch less extraction and a bit more freshness than is often the case. Signature floral, spiced notes linger on the impeccable finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2021. Marchesi di Gresy makes a wide range of wines, but it is always the Barbareschi that speak with the greatest eloquence. The estate’s Martingenga vineyard (along with the subplots Gaiun and Camp Gros) is considered one of the very finest sites in Piedmont for first-class Nebbiolo. Importer: Dalla Terra, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-5405

The 2005 Barbaresco Gaiun Martinenga is a round, sensual wine laced with perfumed fruit. This is an especially soft, elegant Gaiun with impeccable balance and tons of style. The wine remains understated – as the di Gresy Barbarescos often are – but the plumpness and inner sweetness of the fruit gives the wine wonderful volume. The French oak is very nicely integrated here. This is another delicious Barbaresco from Marchesi di Gresy. The Gaiun is made from a parcel adjacent to Asili and it, too, shows many of that site’s qualities. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. This is a wonderful set of Barbarescos from Marchesi di Gresy. The wines show the estate’s trademark elegance but with perhaps a touch more fruit and a little less oak than in the past. As always, these are some of the most refined, transparent Barbarescos readers are likely to come across. Importer: Dalla Terra, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-5405