The 2016 Barbera d'Alba is all class. Sumptuous and beautifully layered, the 2016 is a real joy to taste, even at this early stage. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, licorice, tobacco and sweet spice infuse a sumptuous, lush Barbera that hits all the right notes. This is a stellar showing from the Sandrone family.

A polished, plush, ripe style of Barbera, with spicy overtones to the core of plum and blackberry fruit. Firm and balanced, though this could use a few months to integrate more fully. Fine length. Drink now through 2023.

Although 2016 was a classic year for Nebbiolo, Luciano Sandrone tells me it was an awkward year for Barbera. That sudden heat you might expect during summer never materialized, and the seasons remained cool and fresh over the entire course of the growing cycle. The 2016 Barbera d'Alba is a slightly more subdued and undertone wine as a result. It shows less fruity exuberance compared to warm years, such as the delicious 2015. Dark fruit is enhanced here by crushed mineral and campfire ash. There is a pleasantly sweet note on the close that covers the grape's spicy acidity.