Marchesi di Barolo, Barbera d’Alba (Piedmont, Italy) 2014

I’m writing this review on 11/17/15, and last night I showed this bottle at a wine class devoted to possible choices for Thanksgiving dinner.  Of the fourteen wines that I showed, the attendees regarded it as one of the two best wines and choices for the meal… and the other top choice was an Icewine costing $70 for a 375 bottle.  When this bottle was unveiled and the price announced, an audible gasp was heard, and more than one person in the room was doing the gasping.  And for good reason, too, as this is amazingly good for the money, or for twice this price, quite frankly.  It shows full ripeness, a delicious layer of fruit, interesting savory undertones, and the tangy finish that really should define fine Barbera.  As a Barbera lover who tastes hundreds of wines on site in Alba each year, I must say that climate change and a fashion for over-ripe wines has really turned most renditions of this grape into bottles that I don’t find very useful for anything.  But here’s a terrific case in counterpoint, as this is very flavorful and satisfying — on one hand — yet immaculately fresh and defined in a way that will enable it to prove highly successful with a very wide range of dishes.