Gaia Gaja tells me 2014 was one of the best vintages ever in Barbaresco, if not the best for her vineyards. She cites the prolonged growing season that continued at a slow rate during the cooler summer months only to speed up thanks to a heat spell at the very end, right before harvest. Nebbiolo loves slow maturity and a prolonged growth cycle: The 2014 vintage did indeed get off to an exceptionally slow start. The 2014 Barbaresco is not austere or astringent. Instead, it offers plump ripeness with rich fruit flavors backed by spice, licorice and tobacco. The wine offers good structure from the point of view of its tannins, yet there is no harshness or bitterness whatsoever.