Vietti’s Barbera d’Asti La Crena is one of my favorite wines in the lineup and it is once again superb in 2005. The clarity, precision and vibrancy of this wine are all remarkable, as layers of mineral-infused dark fruit flow onto the palate effortlessly. The wine offers awesome persistence and a polished finish that lasts forever. This isn’t the biggest or most obvious vintage of La Crena, but it is surely among the most elegant. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2015. Yet again, this is a superb set of wines from Vietti. The Barberas are beautiful. With each passing vintage the wines have become increasingly elegant, particularly in the use of French oak, which today is much improved. Apparently making top-flight Barolos and Barberas isn’t enough for brothers-in-law Luca Currado and Mario Cordero. In recent years they have also stepped up the quality of their Barbaresco in a big way and today it ranks among the finest wines of the zone. Importer: Remy Cointreau USA, New York, NY; tel. (212) 424-2204

Serious and multifaceted, with peppery black fruit aromas wrapped up in a frame of toasty new oak. Abundant but plush tannins support intense blackberry and roasted nut flavors in the mouth, winding up with a hit of mocha on the long, highly nuanced finish. Not your grandmother’s Barbera.——W.E.(2/1/2010)—— 92