Renato Ratti, Barbera d’Asti DOCG (Piedmont, Italy) 2016

 This terrific Barbera is certainly one of the best bargains I’ve tasted this year — out of more than 5,000 wines to this point.  It shows wonderful purity and freshness, but is also full of red and black berry flavors, with just the right tannic grip to enable it to excel at the table.  I opened my press sample bottle for review purposes one afternoon last week, and was so impressed with its quality that I took it to show at an evening wine class on that same day.  Of 12 wines shown in that class, this was the consensus favorite of a set including other wines at 3 times the price of this one.