Sourced from the Starderi cru site, 270m above sea level. The calcareous soil features a lot of chalk and limestone. The vines have an average age of 52 to 57 years and are farmed sustainably, with no use of pesticides or herbicides. The Barbaresco is fermented for eight days, with malolactic conversion taking place in oak.
The wine matures in new, medium-toast French oak for 20-22 months before being moved to stainless steel vats for three months. The wine is bottled and aged a further 12 months without filtration or fining.
The 2016 Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi is outrageously beautiful. Dense, powerful and rich, the 2016 races out of the glass with huge fruit to match its classically mid-weight profile. Super-ripe red/purplish berry fruit, wild flowers, licorice and mint play off the huge tannins with real grace. Readers have to be patient, but the 2016 Starderi is a rock star wine. That's pretty much all there is to it.
96 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com August 2019
The 2016 Barbaresco Starderi Vürsù starts with a no-nonsense obscure color and ends with lots of dark fruit on the close. In between, it shows a spot of bitterness on the tongue, delivered with ripe fruit and some rather tight tannins. There are lots of tar notes here too, along with the sort of resin and camphor ash you might not have been expecting from such a youthful Barbaresco. But this one has a heavy center of gravity and is not to be trifled with. It's a big and bold wine that demands a rare cut of beef.
95 points Monica Larner robertparker.com June 2019