The 2007 Barbera d’Alba Santo Stefano di Perno opens with an intoxicating, heady bouquet of smoke, tar, grilled herbs and dried flowers. Black cherries, plums and pomegranate follow in this juicy, seductive, totally expressive Barbera. The wine shows striking depth and purity while never coming across as heavy. This is as head-turning and sexy a Barbera as was made in 2007. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. This is a stellar showing from Mauro and Giuseppe Mascarello. The 2007 Baroli are stunning now that they are in bottle, but the Barberas are equally worthy of attention. As always, the style is very traditional, but in 2007 the steady warmth of the vintage has given the wines an extra dimension of fleshiness. The 2007 Monprivato in particular is shaping up to be another legendary Barolo from Mascarello. Importers: Doug Polaner, Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404, The Rare Wine Co., Sonoma, CA; tel. (707) 996-4484

Exotic, with hints of toast and Asian spices complementing the blackberry fruit flavors. Rich and concentrated, with terrific harmony and a long, fresh finish. Drink now through 2018. 330 cases made.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barbera d'Alba Select to Add