The 2006 Alterego (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Barbera) presents layers of dark fruit, herbs and spices in a wonderfully nuanced, finessed style. The wine retains lovely freshness and inner perfume throughout, with plenty of vibrancy to insure fine drinking over for a number of years. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2021. Coppo – one of Piedmont’s historic properties – makes a wide range of wines but they seem to do best when they kept things simple, as some of the wines remain excessively oaked and heavy.A Leonardo Lo Cascio Selection, Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620