Luciano Sandrone, Barbera d’Alba (Piedmont, Italy) 2015

 This is the best Barbera I tasted during 2017, and one of the best young Barberas ever to pass my lips.  Everything about it is impressive, and that includes the fact that it wasn’t crafted solely to impress.  By that I mean that both the ripeness and wood are tastefully restrained, yet the wine is packed with pure fruit aromas and flavors.  Dark cherry and berry notes are predominant, but with some red tones showing as well.  Quite concentrated, it nevertheless emphasizes purity over power, and manages to do so because the very fresh acidity is perfectly balanced against the sweet core of fruit.  I don’t throw around the word "perfectly" more than a handful of times each year, but the balance of this wine deserves the term.  Delightful as soon as opened, this just gets better and better for hours on end, suggesting that it will become notably more complex for those who can summon the patience to keep their mitts off of it for a few years.  There is exactly no risk that the fruit will dry out anytime soon.