The 2009 Chardonnay Baracca is the first Chardonnay here to carry a vineyard name, as Pontoni is finally happy with the results he is achieving from this old-vine site in Buttrio. No wonder. The Baracca is simply gorgeous. In fact, it is quite possibly the finest Chardonnay I have ever tasted from Italy. Floral, minty notes meld into rich, expansive layers of ripe varietal fruit as the Baracca opens up in the glass. This dramatic, sweeping Chardonnay is a stunner. Another few years in bottle should allow the oak to harmonize, but it is impossible to miss the beauty of what is in the glass, even at this early stage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. Enzo Pontoni is simply on another planet. In the best years his wines frankly have no peers in Italy. The textural richness and depth Pontoni coaxes from his old-vine parcels is a marvel. The 2009 whites show an extra dimension of ripeness from a heat wave in August of that year that gave the wines more body than is often the case but without the excess of truly torrid vintages. Quite simply, I was blown away by what I tasted. For what it’s worth, I bought as much of these wines as I could afford. As usual, the wines are aged in French oak (roughly 40% new) and the malolactic fermentations are typically blocked.Importer: Small Vineyards, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 933-6767