Produttori del Barbaresco is a type of cooperative arrangement between 56 growers in Barbaresco. Its roots date back to 1958, when the region's small producers, working in cooperation with the priest of Barbaresco village, came together to ensure the quality of their releases. Each family still maintains its small vineyard holdings; most years, these are blended into either Barbaresco proper or Nebbiolo, and in great years, there can be up to nine single vineyard bottlings produced. These special wines will always have their vineyards and growers noted.

95 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2008 Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano is exquisite and harmonious from start to finish. Among the more structured 2008s, the Montestefano is the wine that most hides its tannin, as the fruit is intensely perfumed, rich and totally seductive. Today the Montestefano provides the illusion of being relatively accessible, but it is virtually certain to shut down in bottle. The 2008 boasts striking aromatics, seemingly endless layers of fruit and power to burn. Readers can think of the Montestefano as a synthesis of Montefico, Ovello and Rabaja. Not bad, to say the least. (AG) 95+ (10/2012)

94 points Wine & Spirits

These 12.5 acres of calcareous limestone produce a tannic Nebbiolo, the most umami of all the 2008 crus from Produttori del Barbaresco, a wine suited to long aging. Several of our panelists found it notably sexy, needing little more than a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano and a cabin in the woods to seduce your Piemontese lover. The wine smells like autumn, earthy and dark, with scents of porcini and the fatness of grilled mushrooms. It’s potent, with flavors that last for minutes, a fascinating wine to match with foods, whether chunks of aged cheese or something more ornate, like veal with truffles. (12/2012)