A Big Wine and a Rant

Last night, a dinner of succulent pork tenderloin with braised leeks and truffle-laced cauliflower soup. For some reason, I was called to open a barbera...generally, in my experience, a fine, light red wine that compliments most foods. I opened a 2000 Montiribaldi Barbera d'Alba "Du Gir", with some hesitation as I have no experience with "older" barberas. What I found (and should have known by the 14.5% alcohol) was a big BIG red that completely overwhelmed the pork but sidled right up to the truffles like a long lost friend. I actually didn't like it at first, the wine. It seemed so unbarbera like that I was put off. I described it as a "monster" and "new world" in style. Ever the pragmatist, Ms KT sampled and had quite the opposite experience. She was able to help me find the "mint" in the nose (soon became apparent: wintergreen) and get beyond the "bigness" to appreciate the structure and complexity. Although it still seemed "fruit bomb" to me, I was able to enjoy the bitter cherry, bitter almond nuances with the soup. Amazing that a seventeen year old barbera should still be so evolving. I will be more attentive to style, rather than varietal, in future dinner choices. Any of you have any experiences with Montaribaldi?