A rich style, delivering black cherry and blackberry flavors allied to bright acidity, this becomes a tad pinched on the finish, but is moderately long. Drink now. 791 cases made, 100 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barbera d'Alba Select to Add

Here's a wine review for the archive. The 2013 Barbera d'Alba Gepin is a plump and succulent red wine with easy aromas of dark fruit, bitter chocolate, wet earth and black olive. The mouthfeel is chewy and rich in texture.

The 2011 Barbera d’Alba Gepin, on the other hand, sees minimal oak influence (it is aged 18 months in oak cask). The wine opens to a dark, penetrating color and offers a beautifully balanced mix of dark berry fruit set against spice, tar and distant whiffs of pipe tobacco. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2017. No known American importer.

The 2010 Barbera d-Alba Gepin impresses for its expressive, perfumed fruit and silky personality. This decidedly medium-bodied wine is nicely supported by clean veins of minerality all the way through to the finish. The 2010 spent one and a half years in cask. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016. I was shocked and saddened to learn that proprietor Angelo Rocca recently passed away in a crash involving his own light airplane. I visited with Rocca in late August, just as the Moscato was coming in. Rocca embodied the spirit of the self-made Piemontese grower who took a sleepy family-run winery and turned it into a world-class estate in just one generation. He will be deeply missed. A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including de Grazia Imports; tel. (417) 732-4200; Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300; Robert Houde Wines, Elk Grove Village, IL; tel. (847) 430-3887

The 2007 Barbera d-Alba Gepin is a gorgeous, dark wine imbued with melted road tar, blackberries, minerals and graphite. The wine possesses superb richness and depth in a style that is very ripe yet manages to retain quite a bit of freshness as well. This is a lovely effort from proprietor Angelo Rocca. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2013. Proprietor Angelo Rocca makes some of the richest Barbarescos in town, but even he couldn't overcome the challenges of the 2006 vintage. His Barbarescos show excellent integrity of fruit and a refined use of oak, even if they don't quite reach the level of his finest wines. A Marc de Grazia Selection, various American importers, including: de Grazia Imports; tel. (417) 732-4200; Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; (516) 677-9300, Estate Wines Ltd., San Rafael CA; (415) 492-9411, Giuliana Imports, Boulder CO; (303) 547-6343, Robert Houde Wines, Bensenville IL; (630) 422-1119