The estate’s 2006 Barbera d’Alba is a pretty, firm red bursting with fragrant cherries, raspberries, flowers and minerals. Medium in body, the wine offers excellent length in an easygoing style. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2012. My visit with proprietor Renato Vacca was illuminating, as we toured several vineyards during the 2009 harvest and tasted through a number of wines. This year, Vacca has a new Barbaresco from the Albesani vineyard – and it is a knockout. Despite all of his recent success Vacca remains humble and down to earth, qualities that should serve him very well for the future. Readers should do whatever they can to taste these wines, the Barbarescos in particular. Vacca’s entry-level wines are equally delicious but they are made in an approachable style meant for near-term drinking, even if the raw materials suggest they could be crafted in a more serious vein. In today’s economy, though, it is hard to criticize a producer who makes wines that are so appealing when young, particularly at this quality level and price. Various American importers, including: Artisan Wine, Norwalk, CT; tel. (203) 866-4552; Cavatappi Distribution, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 282-5226; Diamond Wine Merchants, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 567-9897; Ideal Wine and Spirit Company Inc., Medford, MA; tel. (781) 395-3300