Barbera, La Strega, La Gazza e Il Pioppo, 1998, Oltrepo Pavese, Az. Ag. Martilde.

 A stunning bottle of wine that offers almost none of the attributes that knock down the big points today. Wonderfully warm and earthy with just the right touch of inelegant abandon on the nose, this wine hits the palate with a bitterness and acid zing that evolves into a wine of such length and complexity that it indeed took my breath away.