The 2009 Barbaresco Riserva Montefico is one of the most distinctive wines in this collection of single-vineyard expressions. What stands out here are the mineral nuances of brimstone and granite that rise from the glass. Because the Montefico vineyard has very compact soils, with sunny, southern exposures, you get a bigger structure and fruit concentration as a result. This is also the most advanced or evolved of the 2009 Riservas. Because it is maturing faster than the other wines, you might consider opening this bottle a bit sooner. Produttori del Barbaresco always offers one of the most exciting tastings of the year. This cooperative winery decided not to make single-vineyard expressions in 2010 and all the fruit went into the base 2010 Barbaresco instead. Managing Director Aldo Vacca tells me that the estate philosophy is to produce all nine vineyard expressions, or none at all. In fact, the 2002, 2003 and 2006 vintages were skipped over. Vacca explains that although the 2010 vintage was excellent in the Barolo appellation, he considered the mouthfeel to be too thin and watery for the production of great Barbaresco. Because the 2010 vintage saw humid conditions, the grapes swelled before harvest leading to wines with less structure and persistence. In general, Produttori del Barbaresco's vineyard wines represent only 30 percent of the entire production, although some 70 percent of the cooperative's vineyard holdings are located in single-vineyard cru designations. In increasing order of power and structure, the 2009 Riserva single vineyard expressions I tasted are: Pora, Pajè, Ovello, Asili, Rio Sordo, Montefico, Muncagota, Rabajà and Montestefano.