Surprisingly, the 2001 Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà is the most expressive of Giacosa's Barbareschi today. I still remember tasting this wine the very first time. It is every bit as dazzling today. Dark fruit, menthol, spices, licorice, graphite and tar meld together in this towering, statuesque Barbaresco. Readers who own the Rabajà are in for a thrilling ride. It is easily one of the best wines Bruno Giacosa has ever made.

The 2001 Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja caps off this magical series of 2001 Barbarescos. It could not be more different from the Asili in its expression. It is a massively endowed, austere Barbaresco that fully captures the essence of the Rabaja vineyard in its explosive, deeply spiced balsamic nose, layers of sweet dark fruit and big, imposing structure. After 30 minutes in the glass, this magical wine is still opening up and my sense is that, even after having tasted this wine three times within the last year, it is still holding back a lot of its ultimate potential. With each successive tasting this wine continues to integrate its new oak (it was aged in a two-year old 55 hectoliter cask). The 2001 is a profound, breathtaking wine, although readers should note that stylistically it is a fairly contemporary wine from this estate. An Azienda Agricola Falletto di Bruno Giacosa bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2026.

The 2001 Barbaresco Rabaja is simply the greatest wine from this vineyard I have ever tasted. Superbly rich with a potent nose of plums, dried roses, leather, resin, and spice, it is equally impressive in flavor, intense, warm, and concentrated, the packed texture and virile tannins perfectly balanced by the roundness of the texture and the polish of the finish. I would consider this a must purchase for anyone seriously interested in investigating the best in Nebbiolo from Barbaresco. Drink: 2005-2020. Importer: Winebow, Hohokus, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

Medium red. Explosive, superripe aromas of marzipan, truffle, underbrush and nutmeg. Fat, rich and deep, with an almost confectionery sweetness supported by huge, toothdusting tannins. Intriguing notes of mocha and brown spices. I find this less classy and elegant today than the Asili but more powerfully structured for aging. I can understand Giacosa's decision to label this as riserva, as it's built for a slow and graceful evolution in bottle, while the Asili offers more early appeal.